Most of us know Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, Riverdale's New York City rich girl turned small town speakeasy owner. In her new movie Coyote Lake, Mendes has shed Veronica's signature pearl necklace for a role that's far grittier than The CW has to offer — murderous Gargoyle King and fizzle rocks drama aside. If this exclusive clip from Coyote Lake is any indication, Mendes — who was plucked straight from NYU's acting program to Riverdale fame — is about to unleash the most intense performance of her career so far.
In writer-director Sara Seligman's Coyote Lake, Mendes stars as Ester, a young woman who lives with her mother in the titular reservoir on the Rio Grande. (The film is inspired by the real Falcon Lake.) Coyote Lake is along a drug smuggling route, full of cartel violence and, not coincidentally, mysterious disappearances. However, Ester and her mother Teresa (Adriana Barraza) are responsible for more of the latter than anyone would have expected. Out of the boarding house they run together, the mother-daughter duo routinely drug, rob, and drown many of the criminals who come seeking a place to stay. Things take a turn for the dangerous when two cartel members take Ester and Teresa hostage instead — and Ester finds herself falling for one of the captors.
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In this exclusive clip from the film, Mendes' Ester must play coy with her mother, who definitely knows that Ester is falling for one of the gun-toting men seeking refuge in their house.
"Do you think I don't know about this? You think I don't know what happened in my own home? I know you tried to sneak around with that boy," says Teresa in the clip, growing increasingly angry with her daughter. "Don't try to outsmart me. You will lose, every time."
What will become of Ester and her newfound romance? If Teresa has her way...nothing good. Yikes. Check out the exclusive clip below.
Coyote Lake heads to theaters and VOD August 2.
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