David Lowery (A Ghost Story, The Green Knight) is set to direct an adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s 2020 novel Death in Her Hands, with genre icon Tilda Swinton starring.
Adapted for screen by Lowery, Death in Her Hands follows recent widow Vesta Gul (Swinton), who comes across a chilling handwritten note in the woods near her home:
“Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn’t me. Here is her dead body.” Except there is no body. No blood. Unmoored by the death of her husband and armed only with a camera, her dog Charlie, and her vivid imagination, Vesta becomes obsessed with uncovering Magda’s identity and fate. As her inner world begins to eclipse reality, the mystery of Magda threatens Vesta’s grip on her own life – until, in a spellbinding operatic climax, we realize that Magda’s death may finally allow Vesta to live.
The otherworldly psychological thriller comes from Oscar-winning production house See-Saw Films, with Cross City Films, See-Saw’s in-house sales arm, teaming up with WME Independent to secure financing at Cannes, Deadline confirms.
Here's what Lowery has to say:
“I am a devoted fan of Ottessa Moshfegh, and the opportunity to translate Death In Her Hands to the big screen has been, in some ways, a subterfuge for getting to spend a great deal of time obsessing over her prose. But now the ruse is up! The script begot by the novel will soon become a film, and I am suddenly aware more than ever that adapting this particular work represents a devious challenge (anyone who’s read the novel will understand why)! But I’m ready for it, and am emboldened to have such wonderful collaborators at my side: the whole team at See-Saw, Jeanie, and of course, the incredible Tilda Swinton, who I know will illuminate Ottessa’s story in ways I could only dream of.”
Oscar-winner Swinton is of course no stranger to the genre world, leading We Need to Talk About Kevin, Only Lovers Left Alive and Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria to name but a few of her contributions.
Death in Her Hands is produced by Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Jeanie Igoe, with Simon Gillis and Ann Phillips executive producing. Keep your eyes peeled for updates.
