Charlie Says — Official Trailer

added: Wed, Mar 13th '19

English actor Matt Smith, of "Doctor Who" and "The Crown" fame, tackles the role of notorious cult leader Charles Manson in the upcoming historical drama "Charlie Says," which explores the prison years of three female members of the Manson family: Leslie Van Houten ("Game of Thrones" actress Hannah Murray), Patricia Krenwinkel (Sosie Bacon, daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick), and Susan Atkins (Marianne Rendon, of "Mapplethorpe").

Based on the book by Ed Sanders, the film -- which also dramatizes the Manson killings, including the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders -- features two-time Emmy-winner Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie, Godless) as Karlene Faith, a young criminologist and women's rights advocate who's been assigned to help out the incarcerated Manson girls as they enter into a rehabilitative prison program.

"Charlie Says" comes from acclaimed Canadian director Mary Harron and screenwriter Guinevere Turner, who brought you the cult horror thriller "American Psycho" and the biopic "The Notorious Bettie Page."

Co-starring Suki Waterhouse, Chace Crawford, and Annabeth Gish, "Charlie Says" is being released in select theaters on May 10th and on VOD May 17th.

synopsis:
Years after the shocking murders that made the name Charles Manson synonymous with pure evil, the three women who killed for him -- Leslie Van Houten (Hannah Murray), Patricia Krenwinkel (Sosie Bacon), and Susan Atkins (Marianne Rendon) -- remain under the spell of the infamous cult leader (Matt Smith).

Confined to an isolated cellblock in a California penitentiary, the trio seem destined to live out the rest of their lives under the delusion that their crimes were part of a cosmic plan—until empathetic graduate student Karlene Faith (Merritt Wever) is enlisted to rehabilitate them. Convinced the prisoners are not the inhuman monsters the world believes them to be, Karlene begins the arduous process of breaking down the psychological barriers erected by Manson. But are the women ready to confront the horror of what they did?

Boundary pushing auteur Mary Harron (American Psycho, I Shot Andy Warhol) presents a provocative new perspective on one of the most notorious crimes of the 20th century.

directed by Mary Harron

starring Matt Smith, Merritt Wever, Hannah Murray, Sosie Bacon, Marianne Rendon, Suki Waterhouse, Chace Crawford, Annabeth Gish, Kayli Carter, India Ennenga

release date May 10, 2019 (in theaters); May 17, 2019 (on VOD)