There have likely been countless doors opening up for Jennifer Kent following the rapturous reception to her horror "The Babadook." But unlike other directors, Kent hasn’t signed onto a slew of projects, which makes this choice all the more intriguing.
Kent has signed on to write and direct an adaptation of the non-fiction book "Alice + Freda Forever" by Alexis Coe, with Sidney Kimmel Entertainment picking up the rights and developing the project. The tragic story follows a budding romantic relationship between two young girls in 1892 Memphis, Tennessee that incited a sensational murder and electrified the nation. Sharing their passion through letters, Alice Mitchell and Freda Ward, were forbidden to ever speak again once the love letters they exchanged are discovered. Alice is heartbroken when Freda adjusts to this fate with apparent ease, and is driven to fatal, jealous rage. Her murder trial was one of the most sensational of its time.
As Kent displayed in "The Babadook," even in genre mode, she really knows how to get to the emotional core of her characters, this looks like a story she can really sink her teeth into in that regard. Very promising stuff, indeed.
