A newly released trailer for European writer-director Anne Fontaine’s latest offering, “The Innocents,” has been released. The drama centers on a young, atheist French Red Cross doctor (Lou de Laâge, “Breathe”) determined to help WWII survivors. Stationed in Poland, she finds herself with the unlikeliest of patients — pregnant nuns. Their convent was invaded by the Russian Red Army, whose soldiers sexually assaulted a number of the women. The story is based on true events.
The spot begins on a chilling note: the nuns’ religious hymns are silenced by a piercing shriek. “When they burst into our convent it was a nightmare,” says one of the sisters.
“The film explores how tragic circumstances can bring together people motivated by seemingly opposite beliefs,” Fontaine told Women and Hollywood. Fontaine’s previous credits include “Coco Before Chanel” and “Gemma Bovery.”
The drama premiered at Sundance earlier this year under the title “Agnus Dei.” “The Innocents” hits theaters July 1.
