Venice: 'Never Gonna Snow Again' Exclusive Trailer

Alec Utgoff, Dr. Alexei from 'Stranger Things,' gets his mystic on in this comedic drama from Polish directors Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englet as a mysterious masseur who bewitches residents of a gated community in Poland.

Alec Utgoff, who played the disheveled Russian scientist Dr. Alexei in Season 3 of Netflix's Stranger Things, has gotten a lot sexier, and, if possible, even weirder, for his new film, Never Gonna Snow Again.

In the film's first trailer (see below), we meet a buff Utgoff as he struggles through the Polish subway system with a bulky massage table. He is Zenia, a Ukrainian migrant who works as a masseur serving the high-end needs of the residents of a gated community.

They love him, perhaps a bit too much.  "You're wonderful!" gasps one. "My savior!" yells another, spotting pulling Zenia outside, grabbing him for a quick rub down. 

But there is more to Zenia than meets the eye. He is from Chernobyl and there are hints he may have gotten a special dose of radiation that give him special powers. But we also see him hypnotizing some of his clients. Maybe he's a fraud? 

Poland has picked Never Gonna Snow Again as its official entry for the 2021 Oscar race in the International Feature category, and it's easy to see why. Judging by the trailer, the film is another dramedy gem from director Malgorzata Szumowska, who won the Silver Bear for Best Director in Berlin for Body (2015) and took Berlin's Jury Prize for Mug in 2018. Her English-language debut The Other Lamb, about a girl born into an all-female cult, starring Raffey Cassidy and Michiel Huisman, premiered in Toronto last year. 

Michal Englert, the cinematographer on The Other Lamb (2019) and Mug (2018), gets a full co-director credit on Never Gonna Snow Again. The film premieres at the Venice Film Festival on Monday, Sept. 7. 

Ida and The Witcher actress Agata Kulesza co-stars alongside Utgoff and a Polish cast that includes Katarzyna Figura, Andrzej Chyra, and Krzysztof Czeczot.  Lava Films and Match Factory Productions produced Never Gonna Snow Again and Match Factory is handling worldwide sales. 

Check out the trailer below.