‘Fingernails’: Jessie Buckley & Riz Ahmed To Lead Sci-Fi Romance From Producer Cate Blanchett

Announced more than a year ago, the sci-fi romance Fingernails was originally to star Carey Mulligan. But it looks as if something has changed in the meantime, because coming out of the Cannes Film Market is news of the film being acquired by FilmNation, only with Jessie Buckley starring alongside Riz Ahmed.

As if the combination of the Oscar-nominated Buckley and Oscar-winning Ahmed wasn’t enough, Fingernails also boasts Cate Blanchett as a producer. Greek filmmaker Christos Nikou, who broke out in a big way with Apples back in 2020, will direct his English-language debut.

Here’s the synopsis for what is being described as a “grounded love story” by Deadline

A new test has been discovered that measures whether couples are really in love. To help couples succeed on their paths, love Institutes have opened to guide them along their journey. Anna (Buckley) is skeptical of the positive result she’s received with her longtime partner, so she starts working in a love institute as an assistant to Trevor (Ahmed), a mysterious, dedicated instructor.

Sounds offbeat, and similar in tone to the films of Yorgos Lanthimos.

Buckley is coming off her Oscar nominated performance in The Lost Daughter, and can be seen in Alex Garland’s Men this week. Ahned recently starred in the sci-fi drama Encounter.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.