Karyn Kusama to direct first episodes of Life is Strange

Amazon's Life is Strange adaptation has tapped Karyn Kusama to direct the first two episodes. The series dramatizes the original video game, in which photography student Max Caulfield (Tatum Grace Hopkins) discovers she can rewind time after saving her childhood friend Chloe Price (Maisy Stella).

The narrative centers on the disappearance of fellow student Rachel Amber and the horrific secrets it exposes in their small town. Life is Strange blends nostalgia and occasional cheese with unflinching depictions of sexual assault, homophobia, drug abuse and racism, and it shifts quickly from awkward moments to outright dread — such as when characters cope with teen pregnancy.

That tonal tightrope makes the opening episodes a sensitive undertaking for any director. Kusama’s 2009 film Jennifer’s Body, written by Diablo Cody and starring Megan Fox as Jennifer Check, offers a clear example of her approach.

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