Director Lee Daniels‘ is following up his 2009 Oscar-nominated film Precious with… something completely different! Daniels tries his hand at 1960s period piece, courtroom drama, and even psychological thriller with The Paperboy, although the trailer does seem to veer into some familiar territory.

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The film stars Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron as brothers Ward and Jack Jensen. Ward is a reporter, who returns to his hometown to investigate the case of a death row inmate (John Cusack) with little brother Jack helping. The convict’s fiance (Nicole Kidman) shows up, apparently ready to use her feminine wiles anyway she can. However, it seems that once the man is free from prison, the problems are just beginning.

Of course, the trailer does not imply anything about the film’s most controversial aspect, which caused quite a stir when it premiered at Cannes: a scene where Kidman urinates on Efron.

The sizzling, colorful look of the 1960s south is a stark contrast to Daniels’ gritty contemporary urban dramas like Precious and Shadowboxer. And while Daniels often deals with jail and the death penalty, his movies almost always approach it after the fact (The Woodsman and Monster’s Ball). But violence and sex are definitely regular themes in Daniels’ films. And interestingly, he’s no stranger to musical interludes!

While I may not be eager to watch a certain scene, I can’t wait to see how Daniels utilizes new styles, and brings together so many genres in one film.

What do you think?

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