Rami Malek Leads Two Lives in the ‘Buster’s Mal Heart’ Trailer

Rami Malek is a fascinating physical actor. In a matter of moments, Malek is capable of switching from conventionally attractive  —  skinny, soulful, everything we might want from our next Internet’s Boyfriend  —  to unconventionally creepy, a dispassionate outsider who seems to be watching those around him like objects in a petri dish. As a result, Hollywood seems to have a hard time figuring out what to do with him. Time will tell if the actor can reach his 99% percentile as the next Jeff Goldblum or just sort of fall off the map as this century’s Anthony Perkins.

And movies like Buster’s Mal Heart don’t really clear anything up. The first trailer (via D’Marge) for Malek’s newest film promises a strange and twisting character study not too dissimilar from Malek’s successful television series Mr. Robot, but those that have seen the film have praised the actor’s diverse talents and the film’s intellectual bent. Our own Britt Hayes caught the film at 2016’s Fantastic Fest and had this to say:

A somewhat surrealistic portrait of schizophrenia, Buster’s Mal Heart depicts mental health issues with empathy, sorrow, and humor. It may seem as though Smith is keeping the viewer at arm’s length with an elusive narrative and slippery allusions to the Biblical tale of Jonah and the Whale, but her fragmented style is apt for the characters within.

Challenging and unafraid to jump between tones and genres, Buster’s Mal Heart seems destined to be a cult classic in the vein of Shane Carruth’s Primer. While the film will probably only be available in a few select theaters around the country, those interested in Malek’s magnetic personality  —  both in the sense of attracting and repelling the audience  —  would do well to seek this one out if at all possible.

Here’s the plot synopsis for Buster’s Mal Heart:

The film follows a mountain man on the run from authorities who survives the winter by breaking into empty vacation homes. He’s haunted by a recurring dream of being lost at sea only to discover that the dream is real: He is one man in two bodies.

You can catch Buster’s Mal Heart in select theaters on April 28, 2017.