Little Joe
Austrian director Jessica Hausner is busy working on her fifth feature, Little Joe, which details the story of a mother and son who fall under the spell of a mutated plant that’s able to influence the behavior and perception of humans and animals. What sounds a little bit like the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers should see Hausner return to the psychological genre roots which graced her underrated 2004 feature Hotel. It’s already been four years since Hausner’s last film, the exquisite dark comedy period piece Amour Fou (read review). Hopefully casting announcements will be made in the first quarter.
Release Date/Prediction: Hausner broke into Un Certain Regard at Cannes with her 2001 debut Lovely Rita. She’s since returned to the sidebar twice more, with 2004’s Hotel and 2014’s Amour Fou. Her excellent third feature, 2009’s Lourdes competed in Venice, where it won several awards, including the FIPRESCI Prize. Little Joe has been slated to film in Spring 2018, so the earliest we can expect to see it would be Venice 2018.