The official trailer for Miranda July's first film in nine years is here. And you know the internet is excited. Kajillionaire stars Evan Rachel Wood as Old Dolio - a 26-year-old con artist with a lifetime's training from her parents, played by Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins. (And, also, a distinctly low voice).
When an outsider, played by Gina Rodriguez, is scouted for a scheme, Old Dolio's world is shaken as if by the L.A. earthquakes her family believe will end the world. The film premiered at Sundance in January this year, when festivals were still a thing, but is set for wider release in September.
Where will you see it? Well, we don't know at this point. And neither does July. "The whole time I was shooting I was wondering, what will the world look like when this movie comes out?" she wrote via Instagram. "Could not have imagined this."
"The future is completely opaque and the future of movies is particularly unknown right now."
"Given the pandemic, this movie probably won’t play in theatres much in the US (if at all). And we don't really know what movies will be once this is over. All the little decisions we make now, as audiences, will define what movie-making will become next."
Here's what we know so far about Kajillionaire's release:
It's premiering via Miranda July's followers and a dropbox link
Because why not launch a film via social experiment. "Usually when a new movie comes out various VIPs and 'tastemakers' are enlisted to announce and promote the movie, help make it special ... But that was back when there was a usually," July explained via her Instagram account yesterday.
"Guess who has made things special for me the last few months? The 189k people following this account. So I asked [Focus Features] if we could put the trailer in a dropbox and give it to you, my IG followers, to announce."
"I'm promoting Kajillionaire this way because the normal systems are falling apart and it’s scary and hard to know where to put your faith."
"My instinct is to put it in lots and lots of smaller communities. So this is both a practical experiment and a symbolic gesture: I think this is where we are headed and what will sustain us. Each other, inventing. (And...you just try things as a form of living.)"
If you're down, you'll find Dropbox link with the trailer in it and instructions on how to share it via IGTV in July's Instagram bio.
The film's trailer features Angel Olsen
Like you needed convincing of its indie credentials. Angel Olsen covers the 1962 Bobby Vinten classic Mr. Lonely in our intro to Kajillionaire. Which feels highly appropriate to this time, and this storyline.
Kajillionaire's official release date is September 18
With so many film release dates being pushed back right now - and primarily, because it's July - this is cause to celebrate.
Watch Miranda July's Kajillionaire trailer below.
