The Last Face trailer: Charlize Theron, Javier Bardem star in Sean Penn film

Emerging from the ashes of Cannes (where it got off to a bit of a rough start in May) is Sean Penn’s fifth directorial feature The Last Face, which has now released a new trailer online.

Set in war-torn regions of Africa, The Last Face stars Oscar-winners Charlize Theron (Penn’s partner at the time of production) and Javier Bardem as a pair of doctors who, across treacherous landscapes in Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Liberia, begin a love affair as they clash over how to save lives and combat the increasingly precarious conditions around them, all while maintaining their relationship. The film also stars Palme d’Or-winning actress Adèle Exarchopoulos, Jean Reno, and Jared Harris.

The film additionally made headlines on the Croisette for its accompanying press conference, during which Penn, a two-time Oscar-winner, was asked directly about the film’s negative critical reception, which reportedly included laughter from audiences in the film’s opening moments. Penn said he didn’t think that particular discussion was relevant since the film had already been completed.

“I stand behind the film as it is,” he said. “Certainly everybody is going to be rightly entitled to their own response.”

Following its Cannes premiere, Saban Films acquired The Last Face for North American distribution, and reportedly plans to release the project in the first quarter of 2017, though it has not yet set a concrete domestic debut. It is scheduled to open on Jan. 11, 2017 in France, however.

Watch The Last Face‘s first full-length trailer above.