'The Ticket' Trailer: Dan Stevens Was Blind, But Now He Can See

Millions of us hope that one day we'll win the lottery, thinking that it might make our lives easier. But when James (Dan Stevens), a blind man, wins his own lottery by suddenly waking up with his sight restored, all it does is make things more complicated.

The Ticket is a new drama from director Ido Fluk that played at the Tribeca Film Festival, and the first trailer for the drama just arrived, showing us that getting the one thing that we want so desperately may not make us as happy as we initially thought.

Watch The Ticket trailer after the jump.

Dan Stevens might be the key to making this all work. He brings authenticity to every role he plays, so that even something as goofy as Sir Lancelot in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb feels earnest and genuine. A review of The Ticket from IndieWire even says as much:

The Ticket exists better as a parable than as a true-to-life drama. From the story James tells that inspires the film's title to frequent scenes in church, there's an emphasis on spirituality and the role belief plays. The recovery of James' sight is ostensibly a miracle, even if it's one that can be explained by science. These elements aren't always subtle, but what holds the movie together beyond its questions and its cinematic depiction of blindness is a credible performance from Stevens. He charmingly delivers speeches that have echoes of a preacher's sermons, but he also shares James' pain and doubt at various points throughout the narrative. His voice cracks as he recites a familiar prayer, and the actor's expressiveness goes a long away in highlighting the inner workings of the character.

Initially, this trailer made me roll my eyes a bit, if only because it felt rather heavy-handed. There's a clear metaphor at work as James becomes blinder than ever to the parts of his life he used to cherish after he gains his sight back. It's not subtle at all (especially with that little joke about the lottery and God), and it will certainly be melodramatic, but at least the trailer doesn't look like a Lifetime movie or one of those cheesy faith-based dramas like The Shack.

But if the reviews are any indicator, there might be more than meets the eye (no pun intended). At the very least, the way director Ido Fluk portrays blindness and the gift of sight that follows is done very well through cinematography. So it might be worth giving this flick a shot. Plus, it's always nice to see Oliver Platt in a movie, even one that regards Malin Akerman as a "plain wife" in the official synopsis.

After James (Dan Stevens), a blind man, inexplicably regains his vision, he becomes possessed by a drive to make a better life for himself. However, his new improvements-a nicer home, a higher paying job, tailored suits, luxury car-leave little room for the people who were part of his old, simpler life: his plain wife (Malin Åkerman) and close friend Bob (Oliver Platt). As his relationships buckle under the strain of his snowballing ambition, it becomes uncertain if James can ever return from darkness.

The Ticket opens on April 7.