Even though, as of late, Emma Watson has been making waves in her fight for gender equality, she is still an actor, and a pretty good one at that. And actors are always in search of their next gig, which she has just signed up for. She and Daniel Brühl, the should have been Oscar nominated star of Rush (I’m not still bitter about that…), have joined the cast of Colonia for Oscar winner Florian Gallenberger.
I am sure many of you out there are surprised to learn that Mr. Gallenberger is an Oscar winner, as was I. He won Best Live-Action Short Film in 2001 for Quiero ser (I want to be…). Admittedly, I am a complete novice when it comes to his films, so I will need to go back and check that short out, as well as his features Schatten der Zeit (Shadows of Time) and John Rabe (also starring Brühl). They sound like very intriguing pictures and have some good words backing them up, so I will definitely be checking those films out at some point.
Colonia concerns the true life tale of young couple Lena (Watson) and Daniel (Brühl) who are caught up in the Chilean military coup of 1973. Daniel is taken by Augusto Pinochet’s secret police, and Lena tracks him down to the titular Colonia Dignidad. As the Colonia presents a front of a mission run by a lay preacher, Lena must join and maneuver her way through a cult to rescue her significant other. Cults, coups, the seventies, two terrific actors… What more could you want?
You may or may not notice the story bears a resemblance to the 1982 Costa-Garvas film Missing, which took home the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar that year. I have not seen the film (but Brad has, and you can read his review here), but I think the two stories present enough differences that I am not particularly concerned it will hit all the same beats.
Principal photography for the film is about to start soon, and I, for one, am very interested in seeing how this pans out. It could be a very compelling thriller.
Original report from Deadline
