Milestone trailer: Soni director Ivan Ayr returns to Netflix with new film

Netflix on Friday released the first trailer for director Ivan Ayr's new film, Milestone. Ayr had previously helmed Soni.

Netflix on Friday unveiled the first trailer for Milestone, the new film from director Ivan Ayr, who previously helmed the critically acclaimed Soni for the streamer.

A still from the Milestone trailer.

The film follows the story of a recently bereaved, middle-aged truck driver, Ghalib, who is coping with a personal tragedy and the consequences thereafter, while facing the existential threat of losing his job to a young recruit. The events in the story come together as Ghalib's truck touches the 500,000 kilometres mark - a record at his company.

"Milestone is an illustration of an individual’s struggle to find relevance. At the heart of the story is a seasoned truck driver, Ghalib, against the backdrop of a cut-throat capitalist system. I chose a truck driver’s perspective to highlight this struggle because I see something peculiar in the nature of the occupation. An inherent contradiction: mobile, but stuck within the confines of their own truck - which somewhat mirrors modern life in general," Ayr said in a statement.

"We are all prisoners of our own perspectives, becoming increasingly detached from the world around us. As Ghalib comes face to face with one of the painful aspects of the cycle of life - the young replacing the old - he realizes that covering physical distances does not necessarily mean that one is getting anywhere in life," he added.

Milestone was officially selected at the Venice and Busan international film festivals. The film was awarded the top prize at the 31st Singapore International Film Festival, and lead actor Suvinder Vicky won Best Performance. It arrives on Netflix on May 7.