Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet (The Bookshop, Learning to Drive) has cast the duo of Edgar Ramirez (The Girl on the Train, Joy, Jungle Cruise) and BAFTA nominee Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Misbehaviour, Belle, The Morning Show) in her next feature.
Nobody’s Heart, adapted from bestselling author and screenwriter William Boyd’s short story Cork, and based on the life of celebrated Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, is described as a “beautiful, poetic story of love and loss” set against the backdrop of Lisbon in the 1930s. WestEnd Films has launched international sales on the project.
The film follows Lily after the sudden and devastating death of her husband. She inherits his cork factory and begins to form an unexpected, highly charged relationship with his enigmatic co-worker, igniting repressed imagination and passion, and discovering unknown truths about both herself and her late husband.
Related Stories
“This is a fascinating, twisted and sexually charged love story between two characters sharing a unique passion with the background of Portugal in the 1930s,” said Coixet. “After reading William Boyd’s script, I completely fell in love with the story and I know there’s a hunger out there for stories like Nobody’s Heart.”
The film will begin shooting in January in Portugal. WestEnd will be introducing the film to buyers at AFM Online where it will show a video presentation. CAA Media Finance is representing North American sales.
“Nobody’s Heart is a rich, evocative and moving drama, and we know Isabel Coixet will elevate the film even further with her eye for nuance and beauty,” said WestEnd managing director Maya Amsellem. “At WestEnd, we have a continued focus on female-centric narratives through our WeLove brand, and this is a great example of the type of story audiences want to see more of.”
Coixet is represented by CAA. Ramírez by CAA, Impression Entertainment, and Hirsch Wallerstein, Hayum, Matlof and Fishman. Mbatha-Raw by CAA, Anonymous Content, Curtis Brown Group, and Hansen Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, & Gellman.
