Worlds collide in the first teaser for Todd Haynes‘ Cannes highlight Wonderstruck. Following two children in search of identity and meaning, the film takes viewers from the classic view of Manhattan in the 1940s to a more monotonous 1970s rural Minnesota.

Based on the novel by Brian Selznik (Hugo Cabret), the story follows young Ben (Oakes Fegley) and Rose (newcomer Millicent Simmonds). Ben lives with his single mother (Michelle Williams) and longs for the father he has never known, while the deaf Rose admires and dreams of a glamorous actress (Julianne Moore) that she chronicles in her scrapbook. After Ben discovers a mysterious clue in his home and Rose reads a buzzy headline in the newspaper, both children set off on their own separate yet paralleled journeys in search of the lives and meaning they’re looking for.

Evident in the film’s first teaser, the film blends the differing sentimentalities of both eras in a richly mesmerizing style. Haynes, known for Carol and Far From Heaven, has been hailed as an expert in capturing a moment in time as if his actors were pulled straight from an old photobook. Wonderstruck proves no different and highlights standout performances from the film’s two worthy young stars.

See the teaser below. Wonderstruck hits theaters on October 20.