Ali Abbasi’s Horror Debut Shelley To Premiere In Berlin

Ali Abbasi’s debut feature, the psychological horror movie Shelley starring Cannes award winning actress Cosmina Stratan, is to receive its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival (11th-21st February).

Shelley follows Louise and Kasper, a Danish couple who live in an isolated villa in the middle of the forest away from modern life, technology and even electricity. Louise’s dream is to become a mother but she is unable to have children.

Out of desperation, Louise decides to enter into a pact with her Romanian maid, Elena, who agrees to act as a surrogate in exchange for money. But the life growing inside of Elena is taking shape too fast, affecting the lives of everyone like an evil force. Paranoia and horror set in around the inevitable birth.

Louise is played by Ellen Dorrit Petersen, who features in Eskil Vogt’s 2014 award winning directorial debut, Blind. Elena is played by Cosmina Stratan, who won Best Actress at Cannes in 2013 for her role in Cristian Mungiu’s Beyond the Hills. Louise’s husband, Kasper, is played by Peter Christoffersen (The Absent One, Bolette the Beauty, Mellem Træerne).