Ok, I get it. At least, I think I do. Granted I didn’t attend the Fox Searchlight meeting during which the concept for this new trailer/TV spot/promo was hatched up, so I can’t claim to know the motivations behind it.
But given that I’ve actually seen the film (about 3 weeks ago), I can say with certainty that the pacing, tone and pulse of this new trailer from Fox Searchlight does not at all reflect those of the film that I saw. Unless it’s been subject to some radical editing since then, changing the feel of it, which I doubt.
And I can only assume that the intent here is to maybe counter existing reviews of the film that tout its realism, brutality and severity, and entice audiences who typically wouldn’t see a film like this, by cutting something that immediately made me think of the last high-profile movie to tackle this same subject matter – Quentin Tarantino’s 12 Years A Slave… uh, I mean, Django Unchained.
If anything, I actually think it’s selling a movie that Steve McQueen, the director of 12 Years A Slave, didn’t make.
But, like I said, I’m guessing that it’s an attempt to reach as wide an audience as possible. At least, that’s my assumption. Although you know what they say about assumptions…
The film opens in limited release (at least initially, before expanding) on October 18.
Dig it: