Little Joe, the English-language debut of rising director Jessica Hausner (Lourdes, Amour Fou) is an unsettling sci-fi feature about a mysterious new flower which emits a scent that induces happiness. The film world-premiered in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where its star Emily Beecham won the Best Actress award. Little Joe also stars Ben Whishaw (Mary Poppins Returns, A Very English Scandal).

Magnolia Pictures will release Little Joe in select theaters nationwide (the Quad Cinema in NY) and On Demand on Friday, December 6.

In advance of the film’s release, Film at Lincoln Center will present a retrospective of the films of Jessica Hausner from November 8 to 10, including a special preview of Little Joe.

Alice (Emily Beecham) is a single mother and dedicated senior plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species. With the help of her colleague Chris (Ben Whishaw), Alice has engineered a special crimson flower, remarkable not only for its beauty but also for its therapeutic value: if kept at the ideal temperature, fed properly and spoken to regularly, this plant makes its owner happy. Against company policy, Alice takes a plant home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe. They christen it “Little Joe.” But as their plant grows, so too does Alice’s suspicion that her new creation may not be as harmless as its nickname suggests.