“Annette” Trailer Reveals Adam Driver & Marion Cotillard’s Mysterious Musical

If you’ve never watched a Leos Carax movie, you’re in for a major surprise with Annette, his new musical starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. The visionary director behind Holy Motors (2012) and Boy Meets Girl (1984) takes his time between projects, and all his movies are delightfully daring and worth watching. Annette would warrant any film lover’s attention for the cast alone, but combining Carax’s unique filmmaking talent with discerning stars like Driver and Cotillard marks a special occasion. Then there’s the film’s origin story, which began its life as a concept album (more on this in a bit.) Finally, there’s the first trailer for the film, just released by Amazon, which will only heighten curiosity (or downright excitement)—this is a very compelling first look.

A very bare-bones sketch of this story is that Annette centers on Henry (Driver), a stand-up comedian who falls in love with a famous opera singer named Ann (Cotillard). “What I see in her is obvious,” Henry says in the trailer, “What she sees in me is…a little more puzzling.” The trailer itself is puzzling, but also lush and riveting. The pair fall in love and eventually have a baby daughter (the titular Annette) who will go on to have an “exceptional destiny.” As for Henry and Ann, well, their destinies appear troubling.

The film boasts a soundtrack by the pop/rock band Sparks, and while the trailer is short on plot specifics, it’s as beguiling, and musical, as you’d hope.  What’s even more intriguing is that Annette was first conceived of as a Sparks album, but once the musicians discussed the story with Carax at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, the movie you’re about to glimpse began its journey.

Check out the trailer below. Annette will premiere—as it must—at the Cannes Film Festival on July 6, and hit theaters on August 6 and Amazon Prime Video on August 20.

Here’s the official synopsis for Annette:

Los Angeles, today. Henry (Adam Driver) is a stand-up comedian with a fierce sense of humor who falls in love with Ann (Marion Cotillard), a world-renowned opera singer. Under the spotlight, they form a passionate and glamorous couple. The birth of their first child, Annette, a mysterious little girl with an exceptional destiny, will turn their lives upside down. A film by visionary director Leos Carax (Holy Motors), with story and music by Ron & Russel Mael of The Sparks, this original musical is a journey of passion, love, and fame.

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Featured image: Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard in “Annette.” Courtesy Amazon Studios.