TIFF 2011 Buyer’s Club: #6. Mary Harron’s The Moth Diaries

#6. The Moth Diaries 
The Gist: Based on the 2002 debut novel from Rachel Klein, Rebecca, a young girl haunted by her father’s suicide, begins her junior year at an elite girls boarding school, hoping for a fresh start. From the outset, her friendship with sunny, innocent Lucy is shattered by the arrival of Ernessa, a mysterious, dark and beautiful girl from Europe. As Ernessa consumes more and more of Lucy’s attention, the latter’s healthy young body grows pale, thin and weak – as if being drained of life itself.

Director: Mary Harron (Television as of late – last film was 05’s The Notorious Bettie Page)
Sales Agent: Cinetic
Selling Point/Suited For: Working against the film is the fact that it is fronted by a mostly unknown pair of young female actors (Lily Cole is not An A-lister yet), and while high school and horror are as bland and unoriginal of a match as PB&J is, we need to take into consideration that this is a helmer who gave us American Psycho and that there is a demographic out there that will assure a healthy box office return. Just prior, it’ll have shown in Venice, but firm offers for NA rights should be aplenty once it shows in Toronto.