‘Denial’ Trailer: Rachel Weisz Will See You in Court

And in other World War II-related movie news, here’s the first trailer for Denial, another new drama based on true events, this time a bit more recent. Rachel Weisz stars as Deborah E. Lipstadt, an author who becomes the subject of a lawsuit when she publicly slams a Holocaust denier. In an absurd and sadly familiar turn of events, Lipstadt is forced to prove the existence of the Holocaust in a court of law. If nothing else, Weisz looks to be giving one hell of a performance.

Based on Lipstadt’s book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, the film pits Weisz against Timothy Spall, who plays the denier in question. As in real life, Spall’s David Irving brings a lawsuit against Lipstadt, but instead of pursuing the litigation in America, Irving takes her to England, where the burden of proof is placed on the defendant. Thus, it’s up to Lipstadt to prove that Holocaust actually happened while Irving proceeds to deny much more than the infamous genocide.

Here’s the official synopsis for Denial, which was directed by Mick Jackson (Temple Grandin):

Based on the acclaimed book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, Denial recounts Deborah E. Lipstadt’s (Academy Award-winner Rachel Weisz) legal battle for historical truth against David Irving (Cannes Award-winner Timothy Spall), who accused her of libel when she declared him a Holocaust denier. In the English legal system, the burden of proof is on the accused, therefore it was up to Lipstadt and her legal team to prove the essential truth that the Holocaust happened.

Denial also stars Tom Wilkinson (it’s just not a drama based on true events without that guy!), Mark Gatiss and Andrew Scott, and hits theaters on September 30.