We've got the exclusive first trailer for Netflix's new thriller The Strays, which is set to be the movie you'll all want to be talking about when it's released on February 22.
The movie is the latest offering from Netflix's impressive UK slate which has given us The Wonder, I Used to Be Famous and I Came By in the past year. The Strays looks to be in the mould of I Came By, a social thriller that will keep you gripped with its twists and turns.
It centres on Neve, an upper middle-class woman who appears to have the perfect life: a home in the suburbs, a loving family and a deputy head position at the local private school. But is it actually all a lie? When two shadowy figures arrive in her town, Neve's life slowly begins to unravel.
But rather than us tell you the story, check out the excellent first trailer for The Strays below:
The Strays marks the feature debut of writer-director Nathaniel Martello-White, who you may recognise from the likes of Small Axe: Mangrove and I Hate Suzie, and the filmmaker took inspiration from the likes of Funny Games and Get Out.
Talking about the movie's origin, he described it as exploring the experience of a person of colour navigating a predominantly-white society, as well as the very concept of 'The British Dream' such as who it's for and, more importantly, who it isn't for.
"I grew up in quite a working-class environment. I spend most of my time in middle-class environments and you find yourself code switching sometimes, shifting your accent, your cadence, and it shifts back again when you meet people from your area," he explained in the production notes.
"It becomes profound when you become successful and the relationship with where you've come becomes more complex and nuanced, because you want to be authentic, but you have changed.
"It's the same for Neve. She is white-passing to a certain extent in that community."
Ashley Madekwe, who was BAFTA-nominated for her role in County Lines and has also appeared in The Umbrella Academy, Revenge and more, takes on the lead role of Neve.
Originally, the role was written as older, but that changed when Madekwe was suggested.
"She was the character. Ashley comes from Croydon; she lives in the hills in Hollywood now. She's done the Neve journey in a much healthier way, of course," Martello-White noted.
"We got a make-up artist to age her up a bit and she was great. But what that meant was all the ages of the kids then had to come down."
The "Strays" of the title are Marvin, played by Stephen's Jorden Myrie, and Abigail, played by Bukky Bakray who won the BAFTA Rising Star award in 2020 for her role in celebrated coming-of-age drama Rocks.
"There was something about his vulnerability, but also this kind of danger he had, which I thought was incredible," Martello-White said of casting Myrie.
"He's also very, very charismatic. So we got him in a few times and every time he never disappointed. He kept blowing us away. We felt we were witnessing somebody who in time could be a real artist."
Martello-White added of Bukray's casting: "Bukky has this otherworldly quality. She's an incredibly instinctive actress. When you give her the space and you allow her to just express herself, she can go to places I've not seen many actors go to."
With this cast and that intense trailer, it's easy to see why The Strays will be a must-watch when it arrives next month.
The Strays is released on Netflix on February 22.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
