Moses Ingram and Natalie Portman Trade Secrets in Lady in the Lake Trailer

The search for something more unites two women from different walks of life in Alma Har’el’s Lady in the Lake, even though one of them happens to be dead. A stylish new trailer certainly sets up the noir thriller, based on Laura Lippman’s 2019 novel of the same name, as one of the most intriguing shows of the summer.

Moses Ingram, recently of Apple TV+’s The Big Cigar, stars as Cleo Johnson, a young mother struggling to support her family in one of Baltimore’s underserved Black communities. Her quest unfortunately leads to her doom, but from beyond the grave, she manages to “speak” to Maddie Schwartz, a Jewish housewife turned journalist played by Natalie Portman. When Maddie becomes obsessed with Cleo’s death, it sets her on a path to enlightenment — or destruction, a fate that she would seem to share with the object of her obsession.

Apple’s literary adaptations have been hit or miss (see: The Big Cigar), but Lady in the Lake looks more than promising. In her first lead TV role, Natalie Portman looks every bit the part of the ’60s feminine ideal even as she strains against its confines (not unlike her work in Pablo Larraín’s Jackie). Ingram’s Cleo similarly chafes at the limitations set on her by those within and outside of her community. We may think we know Cleo’s story just because we know the ending, but Har’el, who’s tasked herself with writing and directing the adaptation she developed, plans to keep us guessing.

Lippman’s novel is a work of historical fiction that examines classism, racism, and sexism from two disparate yet intertwined perspectives. It’s an exciting follow-up for Ingram, who shined in The Queen’s Gambit, despite being relegated to the supportive friend role, before more fully breaking out in Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Emmy nominee will definitely hold her own against her Oscar-winning co-star in what looks like a great two-hander.

Lady in the Lake premieres July 19 on Apple TV+. 

Danette Chavez is the Editor-in-Chief of Primetimer and its biggest fan of puns.