One year after it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, the New Zealand black comedy “Bad Behaviour,” starring Jennifer Connelly (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Snowpiercer”), is finally coming out in North America. The film is the directorial debut of actor-turned-filmmaker Alice Englert. Englert made some noticeable turns in “Ginger & Rosa” (2012), playing Lena Duchannes in the film “Beautiful Creatures” (2013), and in “Top Of The Lake China Girl” (2017), but she is also known as the daughter of famous New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion, so clearly filmmaking runs in their blood.
“Bad Behaviour” seems to have some autobiographical elements to it as well, as Connelly plays a former child actor, and Englert left high school to pursue her acting career.
Englert co-stars alongside Connelley as well. The ensemble cast also features Ben Whishaw, Dasha Nekrasova, Karan Gill, Ana Scotney, Beulah Koale, and Marlon Williams.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Lucy, a former child actor, seeks enlightenment at a retreat led by spiritual leader Elon while she navigates her close yet turbulent relationship with her stunt-performer daughter, Dylan.
If “Bad Behaviour” or its trailer seems familiar, that’s because the film has already been released in several international territories, including the U.K. Our review of the film called Connelly’s performance “magnificent” and deeply praised Englert as a director.
“It’s genuinely thrilling to watch a filmmaker with a specific voice and oddball style taking genuine risks, and the way she successfully navigates these tonal transitions, how she cuts the cynicism with sincerity and vice versa – well, it’s kind of miracle,” our review wrote. “’ Bad Behavior’ is strange, savage, and oddly beautiful, and it announces Alice Englert as one to watch.”
Gravitas Ventures will release “Bad Behaviour” in theaters & on Demand/Digital on June 14, 2024. Watch the new trailer below.