As the grueling election season drags on, it’s more important than ever to have things to look forward to in the coming months. On Wednesday, just in time to lift the nation’s mood before the debate, Gore Verbinski released the delightful teaser trailer for his upcoming film A Cure For Wellness, which he directed from a screenplay by Justin Haythe. From the bright, sunny lighting to the jaunty bass line of the music—an arrangement of the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated” that somehow manages to be even more energetic than the original—everything about this film says fun, fun, fun!
In the tradition of other great nonpolitical works of art like Leni Riefenstahl’s Olympia, A Cure For Wellness looks to be, above all, a celebration of the human form. Dane DeHaan plays a young business executive who is sent on a restorative trip to a Swiss health spa. Surrounded by natural beauty and stunning architecture, DeHaan’s merry voyage through the spa looks like just the thing to clear the cobwebs of the election. Calisthenics, swimming, dance: Verbinski’s camera captures the body transformed and perfected through the cleansing power of physical activity (and restorative treatments overseen by kindly spa director Jason Isaacs). It turns out DeHaan’s diagnosis is a bad case of hilarity, and the only cure is a romance with fellow patient Mia Goth (and also, eels). Though the trailer doesn’t make it clear exactly what sort of shenanigans DeHaan and Goth will get up to, this joyous romp looks like it will be a family thrill ride to rival Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean films. On Feb. 17, audiences will have the chance to fill their prescriptions for the very best medicine there is: laughter! Thank you, Doctor Verbinksi!
