“People say they saw a boy walking down the street with a young woman, but if they get close enough, she disappears,” we are told in a new trailer for The Long Walk. Laotian filmmaker Mattie Do’s third film tells the story of “an ancient scavenger living on the fringes of a near-future society [who] exploits a ghostly companion’s ability to traverse time,” the synopsis reads.
The spot features the little boy (Por Silatsa) bonding with the old scavenger (Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy). They have a mutual friend (Noutnapha Soydala). “I was there when she died,” the boy says to the man. “I was there when she died – 50 years ago,” replies the man.
Described as a “culturally rich ghost story, a gritty near-future sci-fi, and a life-and-death mystery spanning decades,” The Long Walk had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. It hits theaters February 18 and digital and on-demand March 1.
“I want people to think about how short life is and what their decision-making process would be like in a situation where they could potentially make changes or affect their own outcome,” Do told us ahead of the premiere of the Movies in Venice. “I want people to know that life is short and that we don’t get replays, but that throughout life we need to find solace in how our future is firmly cemented as part of who we are.”
Known for being Lao’s first and only female filmmaker, and her country’s only female filmmaker, to work in horror and fantasy genres, Do previously directed Dearest Sister and Chanthaly.