War Meets Satire in Hilarious Sneak Peek From New Dark Comedy ‘Atropia’ [Exclusive]

This year has brought audiences some pulse-pounding, panic-inducing war-centered films like Alex Garland’s Warfare and Steve Barnett’s Valiant One. But soon, a new kind of explosive feature will be parachuting into cinemas when Hailey Gates makes her feature-length directorial debut with Atropia. On December 12, Vertical is inviting audiences to travel back in time to the most harrowing days of the Iraq war and take a break from reality by embarking on a journey into a town that’s been turned into a warfare simulation where soldiers go before being deployed. Starring Alia Shawkat (Search Party), Chloë Sevigny (After the Hunt), Tim Heidecker (Tim & Eric), and Callum Turner (Eternity), the production serves as a bit of satire surrounding one of the most divisive wars in the history of the United States. Today, Collider is thrilled to share an exclusive sneak peek of the soon-to-be-released movie.

In our exclusive first look, the civilians of the titular fake town listen to an announcement about the next day’s mock situation. It’s mustard gas day, and the actors receive directions about their role in the exercise, like if you don’t speak Arabic or Kurdish, keep your mouth shut, and if your character has a blood bag to use, make sure it’s full. With an audience arriving to watch the scene go down, everything needs to be absolutely perfect. Meanwhile, inside the planning hut, characters played by Sevigny and Heidecker pour over the prosthetic props for what’s bound to be an exciting day on base as they pick out which severed leg suits the project best.

Filling out the rest of the film’s primary ensemble is a lineup that includes Jane Levy (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), Zahra Alzubaidi (Wake Me When I Leave), and Lola Kirke (Mozart in the Jungle). Known as the helmer behind such favorites as the Oscar-nominated Call Me By Your Name, Bones and All, Challengers, and, most recently, After the Hunt, filmmaker Luca Guadagnino serves the title as a producer.

What Is ‘Atropia’ About?

The broad strokes of Atropia are the daily happenings for its team of actors and soon-to-be military professionals as they prepare to ship off to Iraq. But the primary story focuses on Shawkat’s character, an aspiring actress who is hoping to get her big break while working at the military training center. However, her aspirations take a back seat when she starts falling for another actor, Abu Dice (Turner), a soldier portraying an insurgent, leading them to question their roles and the facility’s purpose.

You can check out our exclusive sneak peek of Atropia above and see it when it arrives in cinemas on December 12.