A first trailer has been released for the true-life inspired thriller Compliance.

The film, which was a hit at the Sundance film festival, concerns a typical Friday night at a fast food store. The manager of the store is called by a man claiming to be a police officer, who tells her that a female member of staff has been accused of stealing money from a customer.

The officer gives her the choice of waiting for police to come, or to carry out a strip search in front of the store CCTV. Soon it becomes clear that all is not as it seems as the film poses the question of how far people will go when they believe they are under the control of a higher authority.

Inspired by true events

Although at first the film's plot might seem unrealistic, it is based on a scam that took place for many years with a series of calls made to McDonalds restaurants across the US.

ON April 9, 2004, the assistant manager was called at the McDonald's Kentucky. The caller explained that they were a detective and asked them to carry out a strip search on an employee .

The events then escalated, with the manager and other participants following the caller's demands, incuding ordering the employee to perform naked star jumps and eventually a sex act.

The call was later discovered to be a hoax carried out by a married father of five.

Which aspects of the story have been utilised by writer and director Craig Zobel are not known, but Compliance has already garnered strong reviews. David Fear, of Tme Out NY said it was "chillingly brilliant", while Nathan Rabin of The Onion AV Club declared it "deeply, viscerally unnerving".

Compliance is released in the US on August 17, while a UK release date has not yet been set.