Can you be happily married while leading a double life? Especially if that double life involves another person? One way to explore that question is to watch Kate, the protagonist of Brave New Love, the new feature film from writer-director Maria Bäck (I Remember When I Die, Psychosis in Stockholm) that will world premiere on Aug. 9 in the international competition of the 79thedition of the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
But be warned: things may get awkward at times.
After all, Kate, a hypnotherapist, lives happily with her husband, Orla, and their daughter, Athena. But she also shares a secret romantic relationship with another man, Andreas. “After years of secrecy, the fragile balance of her double life begins to unravel,” reads a synopsis. “As a role model to her daughter, she struggles to navigate her existential quest – a journey filled with body fluids, intimacy, Greek mythology, laughter, madness, and clumsiness.” In the process, Kate struggles to redefine love.
Kathrine Thorborg Johansen (Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes) stars as Kate, Simon Sears (Shadow and Bone) is husband Orla, and Anders Danielsen Lie (Sentimental Value, Everybody Digs Bill Evans, The Worst Person in the World) portrays Andreas. Young Noemi Carbone Mannov plays Athena, and Angeliki Papoulia (Dogtooth, The Lobster) also features in the cast.
Produced by Anna-Maria Kantarius, Brave New Love features cinematography by Maria Von Hausswolff, with editing handled by Julius Krebs Damsbo. Reinvent Yellow is in charge of International sales.
“There are so many rules and inherited expectations attached to love,” Bäck says about the film. “I wanted to explore these often absurd ideas through wit and sensuality, and create a mirror for the loneliness and power of a heart set on fire.”
THR can now exclusively premiere a clip from Brave New Love that introduces you to Kate in a scene that is likely to take your breath away – and not necessarily in the way you may expect.
You might remember that Madonna, in her 1998 hit “Frozen,” sang: “Love is a bird; she needs to fly.” Well, the scene here fits in with that line – but again, not necessarily in the way you may expect. Watch the exclusive clip from Brave New Love right here.