Claire Denis is set to direct a crime drama titled The Soap Maker.

      Claire Denis, who will celebrate her 79th birthday this year, continues to be as active as ever. While filming Cry of the Guards, she is in talks to direct The Soap Maker, a modern reinterpretation of Mauro Bolognini’s 1977 horror film Gran Bollito, which is based on the true story of Leonarda Cianciulli—an Italian woman whose gruesome methods of killing three women involved turning their bodies into soaps, candles, and sweets for her community. The producers have secured the rights to both the original film and Cianciulli’s diaries, which, according to Variety, she wrote in the psychiatric institution where she spent the remainder of her life after admitting to her crimes. Their package, aimed at the European Film Market, draws comparisons to Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, and Get Out.

      What seems like an unusual combination at first actually aligns well when considering Denis’ body of work. At its core, her oeuvre explores the potential for relationships to descend into violence; Trouble Every Day captures the essence of horror perfectly, while 2013’s Bastards is equally unsettling and perhaps the finest example of her unique talents. It's difficult to appreciate her films without feeling at least a touch of excitement about this type of material in her capable hands, especially for fans of Tindersticks who might wonder about the atmospheres they could evoke.