Matt Dillon Channels Marlon Brando in First ‘Maria’ Image

The first look at Jessica Palud’s biographical drama film Maria has been unveiled as the movie sets a world premiere at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, Variety reports. The movie is based on Vanessa Schneider‘s 2018 memoir My Cousin Maria Schneider about the actress Maria Schneider and dramatizes her experiences working on Bernardo Bertolucci‘s film The Last Tango in Paris alongside Marlon Brando.

The new image gives fans a first look at Anamaria Vartolomei as Schneider and Matt Dillon as Brando. In the still, two are seen getting intimate, which makes the crux of this story that revolves around how a 19-year-old Schneider was imposed in an un-simulated rape scene on the set of The Last Tango in Paris by director Bertolucci and Brando.

What’s ‘Maria’ About?

Released in 1973, The Last Tango in Paris featured a shocking rape scene, which garnered much criticism and had a devastating effect on Schneider, the movie encapsulates how a movie break of a lifetime turned out to be Schnider’s nightmare. Per the synopsis, “Maria is a young, struggling actress with promise. When an emerging Italian director casts her to headline a new film alongside an American superstar, her dreams are coming true. But what seems like a big breakthrough turns out to be the start of a living hell. That movie is The Last Tango In Paris. The actress is Maria Schneider.

Speaking about the feature Pauld praised Vartolomei, “she was pivotal as she was going to be in every single shot. I had to be captivated by the main actress to let her carry Maria’s voice.” But playing the character came with its own challenges, “Annamaria does have a rare cinematic presence. We rehearsed a lot for several months, worked on emotions, watched movies together,” Palud continued. Ultimately, Maria is a movie about “the gaze. How it can hurt and seriously damage when someone isn’t understood or taken seriously.”

As for Dillon, he was the French filmmaker’s “first choice.” “I wanted someone who truly embodies Hollywood,” said the French filmmaker. She further explained, “Getting into Brando’s skin who slid into something so violently wrong was dreadful. It remains an attack that happened in front people. But no one reacted and continued filming.” The movie also cast Yvan Attal as Daniel Gélin, Marie Gillain as Marie-Christine Schneider, Stanislas Merhar as Berhmann, Céleste Brunnquell as Noor along with Giuseppe Maggio as Bernardo Bertolucci, Jonathan Couzinié as Michel Schneider and Alexis Corso as Nathan.

Maria will make its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival before debuting in theatres at a later date. You can check out the new image above and stay tuned to Collider for further updates.