Ragesh Dipu
1091 has released the chilling first trailer for the upcoming thriller ‘Them That Follow.’ Academy Award winner Olivia Colman steals the show with her pitch-perfect heartland American accent in the trailer. Set deep down in the heart of Appalachian grasslands, ‘Them That Follow’ centers on a cult group of worshipers who rely on deadly snakes as a tool in a ritual for spiritual cleansing of the members. An eccentric Appalachian pastor, Lemuel Childs (played by Walton Goggins) presides over the ordeal of Pentecostal healing in the community. The ritual includes letting poisonous snakes kiss the bodies of the followers!
The basement of the community and the pillars of its beliefs collapse when Lemuel’s beloved daughter, Mara (played by Alice Englert), voluntarily breaks away from the suicidal tradition. She is torn between the commitment to her father and the rituals of the community which has been her home since birth, and her irresistible longing for the man she loves, Augie (played by Thomas Mann). But Mara’s dilemma is under the watch of the mysterious elder women of the community named Hope Slaughter (played by Colman), who appears as a chain-smoking matured member of the cult.
“When the devil creeps in, you need someone to see the truth even when you don’t,” Colman says in the trailer. She also warns an off-screen character that they’ll burn for an undisclosed sin. The trailer shows a crying Hope while a shadowy figure drops a snake into a sleeping Augie’s bed. In another disturbing shot, Mara whispers, “there are limits to what I’ll let you do to me,” when a silvery serpent wraps around her neck in curls,
Apart from Olivia Colman, ‘Them That Follow’ stars Walton Goggins, Alice Englert, Kaitlyn Dever, Jim Gaffigan, Thomas Mann, and Lewis Pullman. The movie had its world premiere in Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019. 1091 Media and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired the movie after it garnered positive reviews at Sundance.
Olivia Colman joined the project after her Oscar-winning performance in the black comedy ‘The Favourite’ directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Apart from the Best Actress at the Academy Awards, Colman also won the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs for her stunning portrayal of Anne, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland in the movie.
‘Them That Follow’ is written and directed by Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage. Gerard Butler, Bradley Gallo, Michael A. Helfant, Danielle Robinson, and Alan Siegel are the producers. 1091 Media releases the movie on August 2, 2019.
Check out the first trailer for ‘Them That Follow’ below.
Cover Image Courtesy: Julius Chiu/Sundance Institute.
