Natalie Portman premiered her directorial debut, “A Tale of Love and Darkness” at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where her promise as a director became evident. Now that the film has made its way to multiple film festivals around the world, it will finally be getting a U.S. release, and a new trailer has been released in anticipation by distributor Focus World.
Based on the novel by Amos Oz, “A Tale of Love and Darkness” tells the autobiographical story of a young boy living in Jerusalem during the war between Israel and Palestine in the 1940s. Portman acts in the film as well, starring as the boy’s mother.
In an interview with Deadline, Portman explained that her experiences as an actress most definitely influenced how she is as a director, saying, “I’m very lucky to have the experience of an actress going into directing, because you get to watch great directors at work. So you get to see what’s helpful. The choices they make, how they talk to actors, what kinds of things they ask actors to do. The best directors I work with figure out their own mode of communication with each actor individually. Actors all need different things. Some actors need a lot of talking through everything and your ideas and for you to listen to their idea. Some are best left alone and completely to their own instincts. Some actors need positive energy. Some like a little bit more criticism. You have to feel what’s right for each person.”
The trailer has a dreamlike quality, with the realities of the war disrupting its ethereal movements and images. Portman’s fluency in Hebrew also brings an authentic feel to the foreign-set film.
“A Tale of Love and Darkness” will open in limited release on August 19. Watch the trailer below.
