Kristine Froseth’s loyalty is no match for her ambition in “Birds of Paradise.” From writer-director Sarah Adina Smith, the ballet drama tells the story of two students attending a prestigious ballet school in Paris.
“Just because you were number one once does not mean you will be again,” Froseth (“Looking for Alaska”) is warned in a new trailer for the pic. As she explains to a fellow ballerina (Diana Silvers, “Booksmart”) who’s new to the institution, each year “one girl and one boy” are chosen for a contract with the Paris Opera Ballet. The pair make a “sacred oath” to “win the prize together, or not at all,” vowing not to “let anyone or anything” come between them. From the looks of the trailer, Froseth’s character doesn’t stay true to her word. “You made me think we were actually friends,” she’s told.
Smith’s debut feature, 2014’s “The Midnight Swim,” took home the breakthrough audience award from AFI Fest. Her follow-up, 2016’s Rami Malek-starrer “Buster’s Mal Heart,” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. On the small screen, her credits include “Hanna,” “Legion,” and “Room 104.”
An adaptation of A.K. Small’s 2019 novel “Bright Burning Stars,” “Birds of Paradise” launches on Prime Video September 24.
