By George & Josh Bate
Over four years since the onset of COVID-19 and there continues to be novel ways to explore the pandemic in the medium of cinema. Coup! is a new dark comedy that embraces the ‘eat the rich’ sentiment of films like The Menu and Knives Out, while telling a story set over 100 years ago with disturbing contemporary relevance.
Coup! follows a mysterious grifter named Floyd (played by Peter Sarsgaard), who takes on the job of private cook for a reform-pushing journalist named Jay Horton (played by Billy Magnussen) during the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak. As the journalist Jay and his family isolate on their idyllic seaside estate, the cook Floyd begins to spark a rebellion among the estate’s staff, who begin to turn on their wealthy employer. What ensues is a psychologically thrilling cat-and-mouse tussle between servant and master, one that exposes each of their true characters.
The HoloFiles recently had the opportunity to speak with Joseph Schuman and Austin Stark, the writer/director duo behind Coup! to discuss their new film’s timely plot, how they struck a balance between off-beat comedy and twisted thriller, what it was like filming entirely in one setting, and more. Check out the interview below…
Watch a trailer for Coup! below….
Coup! opens from Greenwich Entertainment in theaters on August 2nd.
