‘Preparation for the Next Life’ Trailer – Sebiye Behtiyar and Fred Hechinger Star in Bing Liu’s Drama Film

Here is the official trailer for Preparation for the Next Life, an emotionally resonant drama film directed by Bing Liu, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Atticus Lish. It stars Sebiye Behtiyar as Aishe and Fred Hechinger as Skinner.

Liu, best know for directing the Oscar nominated documentary Minding the Gap, makes his first narrative feature with the intimate portrait of love, survival, and identity.

Preparation for the Next Life is set for its U.S. theatrical release, opening in select theaters on September  5, 2025, courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios and Orion Pictures.

Here is the synopsis: Aishe, a Uyghur woman trained by her military father, migrates to New York City where she finds herself laboring in Chinatown’s underground kitchens. She fatefully encounters Skinner, a young American soldier who has just returned from three tours in the Middle East. While falling in love, they discover the possibility of a better life together than the ones they believed they were destined to live alone.

Watch the official trailer for Preparation for the Next Life.