First Photo and Synopsis for Atom Egoyan's 'The Captive' with Ryan Reynolds

Atom Egoyan's West Memphis Three film Devil's Knot is currently making the festival rounds, but the director already has another film wrapped and ready to go.  Egoyan gathered up Ryan Reynolds, Mireille Enos, Scott Speedman, Rosario Dawson, Alexia Fast, Bruce Greenwood, and Kevin Durand for a dark drama originally titled Queen of the Night. Now it's been retitled The Captive, and not only are we getting the first official photo, but the complete synopsis has been revealed...

MATTHEW is driving his massive logging truck and leaves his precious daughter sleeping as he ducks into roadside washroom. When he returns she is gone.

In the following years, his wife TINA visits the police station where she has formed a relationship with the detective, NICOLE. Each year on CASS’s birthday, NICOLE gives TINA a report on how the search for her missing daughter is going. Lately, the police have identified the girl on the internet, but have had no success in tracking down her physical presence. CASS has aged 8 years since her disappearance. She is being held somewhere, but what is she doing there? The disturbing nature of her “broadcasts” is gradually revealed. Can CASS use these “broadcasts” to her advantage to plan her own escape?

THE CAPTIVE is a drama about how this kidnapping destroys two relationships—that of MATTHEW AND TINA, who blames her husband for all that has happened, as well of that of NICOLE and her co-­‐worker JEFFREY. NICOLE AND JEFFREY work intensely with the horrors of internet child abuse crimes from day to day. Surprisingly, they find they have a good relationship despite their horrific work and are attracted to each other. They have a strong connection until the moment when Jeffrey’s obsession with work crosses an ethical line.

 Years after the kidnapping, MATTHEW is driving a truckload of nursery trees to a remote destination. On his way, he stops for an overnight stay at a motel. When he wakes the next morning his truck is gone. A single tree is left in its place. In the far distance he sees another stolen tree planted on the side of  the  road. Approaching  it,  he  sees another and another. The Trees are leading him somewhere. Is this a nightmare, or is he confronting a disturbing dream come true?

The theme of THE CAPTIVE is that great evil will not go unpunished, but the twisting nature of this evil creates an unpredictable and complex story.

It sounds like it could have the potential to have the same gut-wrenching impact of Prisoners, but as of now there's no firm release date. Perhaps we'll see it pop up at Sundance? Fingers crossed.