Do you think you’re capable of playing sadness?

Now, here is a film with some overt lesbian context. Sadly, it’s overt content involving the murdered bisexual title character and another living bisexual femme fatale. But, hey, we’ll take whatever gay glimmers we can get.

The trailer for “The Black Dahlia” is up at Yahoo! Movies. It has a decidedly noir feel, which makes sense given the time period and subject matter. For those unfamiliar with the story, the Black Dahlia murder case caused a sensation in 40s Los Angeles. Aspiring actress Elizabeth Short (nicknamed The Black Dahlia after her death) was found murdered and mutilated in a vacant lot on Jan. 15, 1947. The crime remains unsolved to this day.

I’m having some trouble warming to Josh Hartnett as gumshoe narrator. His voice is so flat. Plus, he has always struck me as just another one of those good-looking, moderately-talented man-child actors. You know, pretty to look at but not much there. Still, I guess I should reserve judgment until I see the whole thing.

However, Hartnett is surrounded with a killer (no pun intended…ok, some pun intended) cast. Elizabeth - seen only in flashback, I believe - is played by our very own Jenny Schecter (or Mia Kirshner as she insists on being called in the real, non-L, world). Hartnett’s vampy sometimes lady-loving dame is played by Hilary Swank. Aaron Eckhart plays a LAPD sergeant with his own lovely lady friend, a glam Scarlett Johansson.

The trailer’s whiff of gay content involves Hilary purring to Hartnett: “Elizabeth and I made love once. I just did it to see what it would be like to be with someone who looked like me.” (Hey, Hilary, have you met Keira? She’s been asking herself that very same question…) Look for the film in theaters Sept. 15.