Emma Roberts is sent to an isolated island in a new trailer for “Paradise Hills.” Told she’s “in paradise” and convinced otherwise, Uma (Roberts) is terrified when she wakes up to find herself at a facility where rich families send their wayward daughters. The mysterious boarding school’s treatments include etiquette classes, vocal lessons, gymnastics, and restricted diets, all working towards the goal of making the young women “perfect versions of themselves.”
The Duchess (Milla Jovovich) who runs Paradise Hills tells Uma that it’s “an opportunity.” “If you could learn your place, you have your best years ahead of you,” she says. But Uma and her new friends — Chloe (Danielle McDonald, “Dumplin'”), Yu (Awkwafina, “Crazy Rich Asians”), and Amarna (Eiza Gonzalez. “Baby Driver”) — are determined to escape.
“I want women to feel empowered to try and become as brave as our female protagonists,” the film’s director, Alice Waddington, told us. “I want young adults to know that there’s more than one way to be a woman, and that they can choose to become whatever makes their heart sing.”
“Paradise Hills” marks Waddington’s feature directorial debut. The pic hits theaters and VOD November 1. Up next for Waddington is “Scarlet,” a Netflix feature with a plot that’s being kept under wraps.