On Monday afternoon, Toronto hosted the World Premiere of a new psychological thriller, A Talent for Murder, starring Dame Helen Mirren, Alden Ehrenreich and Olivia Cooke. Following screening, the film was discussed on stage by the actors, screenwriter Joanna Murray-Smith and director Anton Corbijn.

Ehrenreich plays literary agent Edward Ridgeway, who travels all the way from New York City to a small town in Switzerland in order to persuade acclaimed author Patricia Highsmith (Mirren) to write another book in the Talented Mr. Ripley series. He manages to do so on the condition that they both come up with a compelling, stylish story. And that’s what happens over the 106 minutes on screen: reality and fiction intertwine with the perfect murder, sharp dialogue and captivating storytelling!

Corbijn is well-known for his visuals that shaped the aesthetics of Depeche Mode. In A Talent for Murder, he creates a fascinating chamber thriller in which the audience has their eyes peeled to the screen. Ehrenreich and Cooke portray both “real-life” and fictional characters in the film, and until the final scenes, the viewer keeps guessing what is real and what is part of a new Tom Ripley story. 

Notably, as stated in the titles, the story about the renowned writer Highsmith is entirely fictional: it was adapted from Joanna Murray-Smith’s own theatrical play, Switzerland. Highsmith never actually wrote another novel featuring her famous protagonist, and any similarity is purely coincidental.

The film is scheduled to be released in theatres later this fall.

Photos by Darina Granik and courtesy of TIFF.