Watch Katherine Waterston Seduce Michael Shannon in ‘State Like Sleep’ Scene (Exclusive Video)
Film follows Katherine Grand as she discovers a web of secrets surrounding her husband’s last days alive
Trey Williams | January 2, 2019 @ 9:51 AM
Last Updated: January 2, 2019 @ 10:00 AM
In the first exclusive clip from the new film “State Like Sleep,” Katherine Waterston, who plays Katherine Grand, nervously and awkwardly seduces Michael Shannon in a hotel room.
“State Like Sleep” is the first narrative feature film from documentary filmmaker Meredith Danluck.
The film follows Waterston’s character who, one year after the sudden death of her celebrity husband, receives a phone call that pulls her back to Brussels and the life there that she’s tried to forget. Once back, she discovers a web of secrets that compel her to unravel the mysteries surrounding Stefan’s (Michiel Huisman) last days alive.
Her investigation leads her to the high-class underground club scene where she discovers a mysterious woman and a strange group of friends, but she also meets a new man (Shannon), a fellow American.
“State Like Sleep,” which had its premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, will be released by The Orchard on digital and on demand on Jan. 1, 2019 and in theaters on Jan. 4, 2019.
“This process of grieving is not unusual or unique, Joan Didion speaks of this very same thing in her book ‘The Year of Magical Thinking.’ She talks about this feeling that if one properly explains it and find a target of blame, a death feels like it can be magically reversed,” director Meredith Danluck said in a statement. “The film explores this impulse we have to reorder the narrative of what we’ve experienced when the experience is inexplicable. The most inexplicable mystery in life is death so I appropriated the mystery genre to serve the deeper narrative of grief.”
Waterston most recently appeared in Jonah Hill’s directorial debut “Mid90s” and Warner Bros.’ wizarding world sequel “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. She’ll next be in “Amundson,” about the Arctic explorer and the Sci-fi flick Fluidic.
Shannon, who starred in “Fahrenheit 451,” as well as 2017’s “The Shape of Water,” will next be in Rian Johnson’s crime mystery “Knives Out” alongside a star-studded cast featuring Chris Evans, Daniel Craig and Jamie Lee Curtis.
“State Like Sleep” also stars Michiel Huisman (“Game of Thrones,” “Haunting of Hill House”) and Luke Evans (“Beauty and the Beast”).
“State Like Sleep is a movie. It’s fiction. However, like any writer, I have drawn from personal experiences, some more than others,” Danluck said of the film. “It’s true I lived in Belgium with someone who masterfully hid a secret life. It’s also true that my mom was suddenly hospitalized in Brussels while on a chocolate tour with her friends, forcing me to return years after abandoning my life there. And though the details in the movie are fictionalized, someone very close to me took their own life and I, in many ways held myself responsible.
“The feelings of complicity and guilt were overwhelming and completely illogical. Looking outside myself for answers and explanations meant I could create a story about what happened, one that excluded me,” Danluck continued. “I needed to tell myself a story to make sense of what had happened which is what Katherine does in State Like Sleep.”
11 Breakout Movie Stars of 2018: From Henry Golding to Elsie Fisher (Photos)
It's a near-impossible feat to capture the hearts and minds of moviegoers when you're not a big-name star. But this fresh crop of film talent has managed to do just that. TheWrap has deemed the following performers worthy of the distinction of breakout movie stars of 2018.
Storm Reid
The 15-year-old actress starred in Ava DuVernay's "A Wrinkle in Time" and, quite frankly, stole the show. Overall, the film disappointed critics, but many praised Reid's performance as Meg Murray.
She is currently filming DuVernay's TV mini series "Central Park Five."
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Zazie Beetz
Zazie Beetz has a multitude of credits to her name, including "Easy" and "Atlanta," but 2018 was really Beetz's time to shine. She starred as the badass heroine Domino in "Deadpool 2" and as Angie in the Sundance movie "Dead Pigs." She also has a promising year ahead, starring in films like "The Joker" and "Pale Blue Dot."
Photographed by Corina Marie for TheWrap
Elsie Fisher
Fisher has had roles in 2013's "Despicable Me 2" and the TV series "Raising Hope," but the 15-year-old has been gaining recognition for her role in Bo Burnham's "Eighth Grade," which first premiered at Sundance. At the 2018 Gotham Awards, she won the Breakthrough Actor award for her role. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her work in the film.
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Henry Golding
Henry Golding's first movie was this year's "Crazy Rich Asians," which catapulted him into stardom. Since then, he's snagged roles opposite Blake Lively in Paul Feig's "A Simple Favor" as well as the director's "Last Christmas," costarring Emilia Clarke. Before his role in "Crazy Rich Asians," he was a Malaysian television host.
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Letitia Wright
The British-Guyanese actress received accolades for her role in the "Black Mirror" episode "Black Museum" last year, but Letitia Wright is now a household name due to her role as Shuri in "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War." She will next star in the fourth "Avengers" movie as well as "Guava Island."
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Awkwafina
For most "Crazy Rich Asians" fans, Awkwafina's Peik Lin was their favorite character. Not only did she star in a film that became a huge cultural moment for the world, but she also had a role in "Ocean's Eight" alongside some of the most powerful women in Hollywood: mainly, Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson and Mindy Kaling. She first dabbled in music and had supporting roles in films like "Neighbors 2."
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Kiki Layne
From starring in "Chicago Med" to several TV movies, Layne has made her mark in Barry Jenkins' "If Beale Street Could Talk," in which she is obviously the breakout.
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John David Washington
Denzel Washington's son had quite a stellar year. Apart from being a recurring character on Dwayne Johnson's HBO series "Ballers," he starred in "Monsters and Men," "Monster," "The Old Man & The Gun" and "BlacKkKlansman," for which he is up for serious awards contention. Most recently, he nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for his role.
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Millicent Simmonds
The 15-year-old actress starred in last year's "Wonderstruck" but this year she had her breakthough moment in John Krasinski's "A Quiet Place," a film that has been thrust into the awards race. She was recently nominated for a Critics Choice Award.
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Andi Matichak
Andi Matichak has had roles here and there, but she became a name when she starred in Blumhouse Productions' "Halloween" sequel opposite Jamie Lee Curtis in October. She will next star in a horror thriller alongside Joel Courtney titled "Replicate."
Photographed by Irvin Rivera for TheWrap
Joe Alwyn
Alwyn first starred in "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" two years ago, but this year should be considered his breakout. Not only did he star in "Operation Finale," but he also starred in three big awards contenders: "The Favourite," "Boy Erased" and "Mary Queen of Scots." Next year, he will star in "Harriet" opposite Janelle Monae and Cynthia Erivo.
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Awkwafina and John David Washington also emerged with some of the year’s most memorable roles
It's a near-impossible feat to capture the hearts and minds of moviegoers when you're not a big-name star. But this fresh crop of film talent has managed to do just that. TheWrap has deemed the following performers worthy of the distinction of breakout movie stars of 2018.