Netflix's Velvet Buzzsaw Isn't What It Appears

When you see the movie’s title and the thumbnail attached to the trailer, your immediate reaction might be to think Velvet Buzzsaw is a dark comedy. And that’s how things play out in the first half of the trailer. But things soon take a dark, sinister twist.

Written and directed by Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), Velvet Buzzsaw is a horror movie masquerading as a dark comedy. Jack Gyllenhaal plays a pretentious critic whose seeming profession is to roll his eyes at art. The movie is clearly a sardonic and biting look into the world of high end art.

But it’s not just about the art. Velvet Buzzsaw soon introduces an unexpected twist when paintings created by an unknown—and recently deceased—artist sweep the art world off its feet.

“Velvet Buzzsaw is a thriller set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce,” the movie’s official synopsis reads.

In addition to Gyllenhaal, the movie also features Rene Russo, Toni Collette, and John Malkovich.

Velvet Buzzsaw hits Netflix on February 1, 2019.