Watch: Emily Browning Comes Of Age In “Sleeping Beauty” Trailer

“Sleeping Beauty” marks the directorial debut of Sydney novelist Julia Leigh and if the calibre of her endorsements or the strength of this trailer are any indication, you’ll be hearing a whole lot more about this film as the year progresses. Selected for competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and endorsed by Oscar winner Jane Campion, Leigh’s “erotic fairytale” shares both the clinical visual style/secret society vibes of Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut and the disconcerting subject matter of Lukas Moodysson’s prostitution drama Lilya 4-ever. It’s an eerie combination. Emily Browning stars in a role originally offered to friend and compatriot Mia Wasikowska and gives herself every chance to attract equal recognition as a dramatic actress.

Says the synopsis: Lucy [Browning] is a young university student who takes a job as a Sleeping Beauty. In the Sleeping Beauty Chamber old men seek an erotic experience that requires Lucy’s absolute submission. This unsettling task starts to bleed into Lucy’s daily life and she develops an increasing need to know what happens to her when she is asleep.

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