“I think when David Bowie died, the universe broke,” says Ann Dowd in a new trailer for “Speed of Light.” Named for Bowie’s 1977 song, Liz Manashil’s dramedy sees the Emmy-winning “Handmaid’s Tale” star reckoning with an inter-dimensional portal that forever changes her life.
The spot kicks off in 2016 with a couple learning of Bowie’s death. June (Allison Tolman, “Emergence”) is heartbroken by the tragedy, while Edward (Ray Santiago, “Ash vs Evil Dead”) takes the opportunity to make a crack about how difficult it is to joke about cancer. An argument erupts, and midway through, Edward is sucked into a hole in the universe and disappears without a trace.
Fast forward to 2040, and June, now played by Dowd, is suddenly reunited with Edward, who hasn’t aged at all. “She’s been waiting for you all this time,” Edward is told. Still, June finds herself struggling to live in the moment with him. “They say you’re supposed to live in the present, but how are you supposed to hold on to the present?” she asks. “It just slips through my fingers.”
Manashil made her feature directorial debut with 2014’s “Bread and Butter.”
“Speed of Life” will be released January 10 on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play. Manashil penned the script.
