Exclusive: Graham Foy’s Acclaimed Debut The Maiden Gets August Release and New Trailer

One of my favorite directorial debuts from 2022 is finally getting a U.S. release. Graham Foy’s atmospheric, bifurcated coming-of-age tale The Maiden, which played at Venice, TIFF, and New Directors/New Films, has been picked up by Altered Innocence. Ahead of a Blu-ray (pre-order here) and VOD release on August 12, we’re pleased to debut the new trailer and cover art.

Here’s the synopsis: “A perfect summer day ends in tragedy, weaving a cosmic connection between three suburban teenagers. Best friends Colton and Kyle float the river, trade dreams, and spray-paint in the local ravine. Like the boys, Whitney explores the ravine, seeking solace by writing and drawing in her diary. But when her best friend abandons her, Whitney disappears. The kids’ lives swirl with natural wonder and beauty, but darkness and death loom not far behind. The discovery of Whitney’s diary transports us to a mirror world. A magical ravine. A paranormal encounter. The return of a dead black cat. Is this a dream? The afterlife? Once deeply connected, are we ever really alone?”

C.J. Prince said in our ND/NF 2023 preview, “Split into two distinct halves, Graham Foy’s debut The Maiden starts off as a look at two high school students who each lose their best friend (one from a tragic accident, the other from getting older and drifting apart). And what may seem a quiet, meditative portrait of grief and coming-of-age opens into something else entirely once one of its leads decides to head into the woods just outside the suburban sprawl they call home. If many filmmakers have taken inspiration from Apichatpong Weerasethakul in the last decade, few have been able to tap into his emotional frequency. Foy’s work pulls that feat off without ever feeling too indebted to his influences (mainly Tropical Malady), which is part of why The Maiden is one of the year’s best directorial debuts.”

See the trailer and cover art below.

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