Met with controversy when it was first announced, director Justin Kurzel‘s true crime psychological thriller Nitram was actually quite well received when it was screened at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival – where star Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out) won the Best Actor award for his performance – and later given a theatrical and streaming release in Australia. Nitram even ended up receiving eight Australian Academy award nominations, including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. Now IFC Films will be giving the film a theatrical, digital rental, and AMC+ release in the U.S. on March 30th, and in anticipation of this release a trailer has arrived online. You can watch it in the embed above.
Written by Shaun Grant, Nitram “explores the events leading up to the real-life devastating mass shooting in Port Arthur, Australia. It’s an intimate depiction of the man and events that led up to the tragedy.” The film does not depict the mass shooting, and also does not feature the real name of the shooter.
Nitram has the following synopsis:
Nitram lives with his mother and father in suburban Australia in the Mid 1990s. He lives a life of isolation and frustration at never being able to fit in. That is until he unexpectedly finds a close friend in a reclusive heiress, Helen. However, when that relationship meets a tragic end, and Nitram’s loneliness and anger grow, he begins a slow descent that leads to disaster.
In addition to Caleb Landry Jones, the cast includes Essie Davis (The Babadook), Judy Davis (Naked Lunch), and Anthony LaPaglia (Empire Records).
IFC Films’ Arianna Bocco had this to say:
IFC Films is proud to continue to be a home for Justin Kurzel’s fearless directorial vision, and with Nitram, his exploration of one of the most impactful events in recent Australian history. Justin’s unique perspective of the time, paired with an award-winning performance from Caleb Landry Jones, is guaranteed to shake audiences to their core.”
A poster for Nitram can be seen below: