Millie Bobby Brown’s Fantasy Adventure Film DAMSEL Was inspired by ALIEN and Alfred Hitchcock
Millie Bobby Brown’s new Netflix fantasy film Damsel tells the story of a princess named Elodie, who finds herself fighting for survival after being thrown into a cave with a dragon. The film offers a twisted take on the fairytale genre, and it was inspired by some unlikely sources.
During an interview with GamesRadar+, the director of the film, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, talked about Ridley Scott’s Alien and director Alfred Hitchcock as his influences. He explained:
"I mean, Alien is one of my favorite movies, for sure. And it's there, you know. The shadow of Alien is some kind of protecting guidance I think, for every filmmaker. But I would say that specifically for Damsel because I was so keen to show a more mysterious suspense layer that funnily enough, I would say that Hitchcock is an influence for me."
He went on to explain that how Hitchcock’s filmmaking style influenced the movie saying:
"Even for this movie, because the way that Elodie, for example, is discovering the places and how the camera is tracking our point of view. It is an honor to that kind of filmmaking style that Hitchcock did."
The dark fantasy film tells the story of a princess who finds herself fighting for survival, and the synopsis reads: “A dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. Thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, she must rely on her wits and will to survive.”
Fresnadillo offered some additional insight on the film saying: "It's a thrilling adventure with a really dark twist to put you on the edge of your seat… As a filmmaker, one of the things I always want to do is surprise the audience with a new take on a story. Especially this kind of [traditional story] — we have to modernize those tales with new takes, more modern and real ways, to connect with the audience."
The director also praised Brown and shared that she was able to capture the emotion they needed for the movie, and described her as “exceptional.” The filmmaker added, “She understood that this needed to be an extreme survival experience. And in order to make that believable, you have to convey suffering and pain.”
The filmmaker went on to say that the creative team went above and beyond to make audiences feel the intensity of the story, saying: “This is a movie about a transformation — about a girl becoming a woman — and you need to really feel the intensity of it. We didn’t want to cheat any of that, and that’s why we pushed all the limits to make this a huge roller coaster of an experience for the audience.”
Brown is joined in the film by Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Nick Robinson, Brooke Carter, and Olli Ackermann.
Damsel is coming to Netflix in March 2024.