Earthquake Bird Trailer and Preview

Yesterday saw the release of the official trailer for Earthquake Bird. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Susanna Jones and start Alicia Vikander. Set in the late 80s Japan Vikander plays Lucy Fly, an expat who becomes the lead suspect in the disappearance of her friend Lily.

Earthquake Bird is not a whodunnit

The story of Earthquake Bird is based on is not really a whodunnit, but instead an in-depth analysis of a relationship breaking down. It deals with themes such as obsession, estrangement and betrayal.

So why would Earthquake Bird capture my attention? Several things. I have become a big fan of Alicia Vikander, after seeing her star in movie such as A Royal Affair and Ex Machina. Also starring in Jason Bourne and Tomb Raider did not do any harm either. But more importantly the movie is set in Japan and I am quite a Japanophile – especially for the time period (late 80s).

Earthquake Bird ticks every box, but so far has been little in the news even though a release date was meant to be imminent. That is usually not a good sign. It means the producers are still trying to sell the movie to a distributor. Then suddenly came the announcement the movie would be released on Netflix from November 15th. Despite there being some decent movies on Netflix – Annihilation – yet again a bad sign.

Limited Release

That said, it will see a limited theatrical release as well. Starring with BFI London Film Festival on the 10th of October – tonight. This will be followed by a more general release on November 1st. Any way, below you can see the trailer for the movie.

It is difficult to say whether Earthquake Bird will be a critical or commercial success upon its release. Besides some sporadic announcement regarding its production it has been little in the news. The movie has arguably only one A-list star – Alicia Vikander. The director, Wash Westmoreland, has two successful drama movie under his belt: Still Alicia starring Julianne Moore and Colette starring Keira Knightley.

Earthquake Bird also stars Riley Keough and Naoki Kobayashi.