'The World To Come' Trailer: Katherine Waterston And Vanessa Kirby Have A Fiery Frontier Romance

Another year, another doomed lesbian period romance. At least, that's what we're going to assume considering the track record of LGBTQ feature romances following 2019's Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which appears to have kicked off a trend of lesbian romances set exclusively in the past, primarily featuring slim white women. But it is admittedly hard to resist a movie starring both acting heavyhitters Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby. Watch The World to Come trailer below.

Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby embark on a fiery frontier romance in The World to Come — literally, as at one point in the trailer, their surreptitious affair is interrupted by one of their houses getting set on fire, presumably by one of their disgruntled husbands, played by Casey Affleck and Christopher Abbott, respectively.

But despite the dangers of getting jaded over this very specific type of recurring film trope (doomed queer romances set in the past), The World to Come is getting real buzz, after premiering at the Venice International Film Festival to critical acclaim and taking home the Queer Lion for best LGBTQ-themed film.

Based on Jim Shepard's story of the same name, The World to Come is a forbidden love story set in the 19th century, which follows two neighboring couples played by Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Christopher Abbott, and Casey Affleck. The couples battle the expected frontier hardships — the bitter weather, bitter neighbors, and the bitter landscape — while Tally (Kirby) and Abigail (Waterston) fight against their emerging affections for each other, before finally giving in and embarking on a torrid affair. But judging by the trailer, things won't end well for them.

Here's the synopsis for The World to Come:

In this powerful 19th century romance set in the American Northeast, Abigail (Katherine Waterston), a farmer's wife, and her new neighbor Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) find themselves irrevocably drawn to each other. A grieving Abigail tends to her withdrawn husband Dyer (Casey Affleck) as free-spirit Tallie bristles at the jealous control of her husband Finney (Christopher Abbott), when together their intimacy begins to fill a void in each other's lives they never knew existed. Directed by Mona Fastvold and scripted by Jim Shepard and Ron Hansen, THE WORLD TO COME explores how isolation is overcome by the intensity of human connection.

The World to Come is scheduled to be released by Bleecker Street in a limited release on February 12, 2021, followed by video on demand on March 2, 2021.