DESTROYER Trailer

Nicole Kidman is going off the deep end in Destroyer, the latest from director Karyn Kusama.

Just what is being destroyed is left up in the air with this trailer, but a lot of possibilities are hanging about. Perhaps it’s the gang Kidman’s weary detective is targeting or the child she’s struggling to raise, but given the amount of ominous dialogue being bandied about, it might very well be each and every thing Kidman’s character touches. The film seems to be about the past slowly and methodically catching up with her character, building pressure until something must explode.

This dynamic would be similar to Kusama’s previous potboiler, The Invitation, which saw a dinner guest cracking under unspoken weights. Kusama formed that into a tense, memorable little thriller, so there’s reason to believe she can handle this simmering drama. Destroyer will be a more high-profile release, though, and while many will be rooting for her to build on the success of The Invitation, one can’t ignore that Kusama’s feature career has been a roller coaster of ups and downs.

The steady name going into this film is definitely Kidman, who looks like she’ll be carrying things in front of the camera. She has a deep roster of co-stars to play off of, including Sebastian Stan, Toby Kebbell, and Tatiana Maslany, but no one is pretending this isn’t a showcase for its lead actress. Word from the film’s festival run is that Kidman is as magnificent as you’d expect, with the question still being how you respond to the way Kusama forms the film around her.

Destroyer is directed by Karyn Kusama and stars Nicole Kidman, Sebastian Stan, and Toby Kebbell. It will be released in the US on December 25th, 2018 and in the UK on January 25th, 2019. For international release dates, click here.

Are you curious about this film? Let us know in the comments!