The Execution Teaser: The Hunt For A Russian Serial Killer Begins [Exclusive]

There's simply no getting around it: Whether it's true-crime podcasts or based-on-true-events movies and shows, everyone (me included!) loves listening to or watching media that dives deep into the psyche of serial killers and those attempting to bring them to justice. "Zodiac," "Memories of Murder," "Mindhunter," and many more productions have all carved out their own niches and dramatized the real-life struggles involved in their respective stories ... and now it's time for "The Execution" to attempt to do the same. 

Before its world premiere at the upcoming Fantastic Fest film festival, /Film brings you the exclusive trailer for the Russian crime thriller that depicts the Soviet-era investigation into ending the reign of terror of Russia's most notorious serial killer. Check out the first-look footage below.

"The Execution" will be the feature film debut of director Lado Kvataniya. Bringing to mind comparisons to "Memories of Murder," "Big Bad Wolves," and "Se7en," the film has a lot to live up to within this specific genre and — based on the footage, at least — certainly displays a level of confidence that suggests it can far exceed those expectations. The plot is described as, "Issa Valentinovich is celebrating his promotion to police chief when a phone call reveals that the serial killer case that made his career may not be closed." The cast of "The Execution" includes Niko Tavadze, Daniil Spivakovsky, Yulia Snigir, Evgeniy Tkachuk, Aglaya Tarasova, and Victoria Tolstoganova.

"The Execution" premieres at Fantastic Fest tomorrow, September 22, 2021. You can check out the fully detailed synopsis below:

When an injured woman stumbles out of a Russian forest in 1991, she bears the calling cards of a serial killer case closed several years ago. Worried how it will affect his career and recent promotion, Issa Valentinovich takes personal responsibility for solving this new act of violence. THE EXECUTION also follows the original case in 1988 as Issa works to find the culprit for a series of grisly murders haunting the USSR. The killer stuffs his victims' mouths full of mud before assaulting and stabbing them to death. Concerned about the reactions of citizens in a quickly disintegrating Soviet Union, Issa receives pressure from his higher-ups to solve the case by any means necessary.

Alternating timelines and a shifting point of view will keep you guessing the motive of every character on screen. The developments in both timelines interact with each other to complicate events that initially seem clear cut. A maelstrom of political machination, toxic masculinity, and death haunts Issa as he tries to put the pieces of the case together. The film's blend of revenge drama and neo-noir keeps the plot tangled until the blood-soaked finale.

Using the detective genre to show the end of the USSR and how its citizens were affected by Gorbachev's decision to weaken Soviet hold on other European countries, the film depicts a nation and a populace in search of an identity when faced with the dissolution of their imperial aspirations. Amidst this political turmoil, the characters of THE EXECUTION try to grasp an increasingly uncontrollable situation with visceral scenes of violence and shocking acts of institutional harm.