they wish me dead

Credit: Emerson Miler/Warner Bros.

Angelina Jolie pushes herself to new limits in her upcoming film, Those Who Wish Me Dead.

In PEOPLE exclusive first look images from the movie, Jolie, 45, stars as Hannah, a smoke jumper still reeling from the loss of three lives she failed to save from a fire. The film, directed by Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water), sees her come across a distressed 12-year-old boy (Finn Little) with nowhere else to turn.

"She carries a lot of guilt, and is quite broken," Jolie tells PEOPLE of her character. "She's a smoke jumper, and a bit of an adrenaline junkie, but she's also somebody that has experienced tragedy, and she feels responsible for it."

they wish me dead

Credit: Emerson Miler/Warner Bros.

Based on Michael Koryta's 2014 novel of the same name, Those Who Wish Me Dead sees the Oscar winner as Hannah trekking through the wilderness to help a boy who "has been caught up in something he should never have been a part of," Little tells PEOPLE.

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"On its surface, the story feels like a thriller, with a lot of really interesting characters and a great adventure across unusual terrain, inside a great fire," Jolie adds. "But, underneath, it's an emotional film about people who are thrown together to survive."

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The actress and humanitarian didn't mind getting gritty for the role. "I was so happy to be pushed to just toughen up and get dirty and sweaty, and do things I've never done and feel very capable," she says.

Jolie also enjoyed working with newcomer Little, 14.

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"I had so much fun with Finn. He's great," the mom of six continues. "I think people will really respond to him in this film. He has a light, and a great energy. He can become very emotional and weep about something, and he can also jump over a building and dodge bullets and love it."

Little — who describes his character Connor as someone "who's alone, frightened and lost" — has equally kind words to say about Jolie.

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"Angelina is great!" he says. "She's fun on set and very easy to work with. She is nurturer on and off set. She's lovely. I was so lucky!"

Those Who Wish Me Dead hits theaters and HBO Max on May 14.

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