'Flag Day' Trailer: Sean Penn Directs His Daughter In A Family Crime Drama

Sean Penn's latest film, Flag Day, stormed Cannes this year and will be coming to the masses soon. The film follows the counterfeiter John Vogel, but is really about Vogel's relationship with his daughter, Jennifer. Penn directed the film and also plays John, with his real-life daughter, Dylan Penn, playing Jennifer. On the heels of Cannes, the MGM-backed production put out a trailer to give us a sense of the movie. You can check it out below.

While the beginning of the trailer treats us to a car chase, it's clear that the focus of the film is the father-daughter relationship. This makes sense given the movie is based on the real-life Jennifer Vogel's memoir, Flim-Flam Man: The True Story of My Father's Counterfeit Life.

Check out the official synopsis here:

Jennifer Vogel's father John was larger than life. As a child, Jennifer marveled at his magnetizing energy and ability to make life feel like a grand adventure. He taught her so much about love and joy, but he also happened to be the most notorious counterfeiter in US history. Based on a true story and directed by Sean Penn, Flag Day stars Penn and his real-life daughter Dylan Penn in an intimate family portrait about a young woman who struggles to rise above the wreckage of her past while reconciling the inescapable bond between a daughter and her father.

 If the synopsis and trailer are any indications, this looks like this will be a movie that will pull your heartstrings. It also looks like it will give an intimate look at a family dynamic made all the more complicated by the father being one of the United States' biggest con men. According to the movie's tagline, "Loving his daughter was the only honest work he ever did." What's not to love about that?

Pearl Jam fans might also find this movie of interest, as it boasts original songs by Cat Power, Glen Hansard, and Eddie Vedder. In addition to Sean Penn and Dylan Penn, the film's cast includes Katheryn Winnick who plays Jennifer's mom, Patty Vogel. Other cast members are Josh Brolin, Norbert Leo Butz, Dale Dickey, Eddie Marsan, Bailey Noble, and Hopper Jack Penn. It's executive produced by Maximilien Arvelaiz, Lawrence Kopeikin, Thorsten Schumacher, Vincent Maraval, Sidney Kimmel, Allen Liu, Peter Touche, Christelle Conan, Vaishali Mistry, and John Wildermuth.

Flag Day hits select theaters on August 20, 2021.