Nina Dobrev Plays Woman Who Fakes Cancer to Keep Friend Group Together in 'Sick Girl' Trailer (Exclusive)

"Anyone who believes their friends are their true soulmates ... will love this movie," writer/director Jennifer Cram tells PEOPLE

Nina Dobrev has backed herself into quite the corner in Sick Girl.

PEOPLE has the exclusive trailer for the upcoming Lionsgate comedy from writer/director Jennifer Cram, about a woman who lies about having having cancer in a misguided attempt to reconnect with her old group of pals, who have grown apart.

"When Wren Pepper (Dobrev, 34) feels her closest friends slipping away, she lets loose a little white lie that snowballs into a colossal, life-altering event," reads an official synopsis.

Speaking with PEOPLE about the film — her big-screen directorial debut — Cram says she "wanted to tell a funny story about female friendship shown through the lens of a woman who makes a lot of really bad choices ... and to my delight, Nina was enthusiastically up for the challenge."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Related: Nina Dobrev on 'Wild' Experience Launching to Fame on 'The Vampire Diaries': 'I Was Learning About Myself'

The trailer opens with a flashback to 15 years before the events of the film, where Wren and are friends are enjoying a road trip, before shifting back to present day and Wren reflecting how they "don't even hang out anymore."

After her friends imply that she "peak(ed) in high school," Wren blurts out, "I have cancer!"

While struggling with the guilt and hurdles her lie brings amid a number of youthful hijinks (including a trip to jail), Wren says later in the trailer, "My friends are sleepwalking through their lives, and they were forgetting about me."

"These girls are my family. They matter on a level that blood never could," she adds.

Related: Ashanti Plays a Bride Clashing with an Unwanted Guest in 'The Plus One' Trailer (Exclusive)

Alongside Dobrev, Sick Girl stars Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs), Dan Bakkedahl (Veep), Brandon Mychal Smith (Hulu's Four Weddings and a Funeral) and Sherry Cola (Joy Ride).

According to the synopsis, Sick Girl is "a hilarious take on the price of insecurity and the rewards of true friendship."

Cram tells PEOPLE, "I feel like anyone who believes their friends are their true soulmates, and who couldn’t imagine their lives without them, will love this movie."

Sick Girl is in theaters, on digital and on demand Oct. 20.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.