An overlooked and lonely rich housewife Mary comes home from playing tennis to find burglar Jerry in her home perusing her many books; her dog murdered and she's scared. But this burglar is an erudite philosopher, an addict. In their shared loneliness, they strike up a rapport, quoting Kant and discussing addiction.
Joseph Gilgun (the Travis Bickell-esque Hydell in Lockout, and as far as I am concerned, the saving grace of the movie) and Jacqueline Leonard (a woefully underused British talent any UK viewer will know forever more as Lorraine Wicks in Eastenders) star in this clever and pithy piece set in London.
So with the wonderful casting in place, director Alastair Gourlay only needed a fantastic script. And he has one here, written by himself and Emilio Iasiello. This is a masterclass in short writing. Like a game of tennis, the dialog flies seamlessly between the two characters. This would work just as well as a play: this is usually not a positive comment, but here, it is: unlike many shorts, the story stays within its realm and explores the detail of that space.
Gilgun, reminiscent of Ryan Gosling in The Believer is stunning. And Leonard as usual lives up to her solid chops and delivers a worthy and real performance.
This struck the same chords as Notes On A Scandal or Another Year for me – a gritty, empty and beautiful British film where being lonely becomes poetic.
It's a sad and poignant piece, and to boot, based on a true story - I guess life is more grim than fiction. The only vague critique is that the piece ends around twenty seconds too late, after a seriously brilliant soliloquy that would have left the viewer breathless, but that's just me picking holes in near perfection.
In my reviewing career, I don't say this much: It was a pleasure to review this film and I hope to see more like it from Gourlay in the future. A fine talent.
Joseph Gilgun (the Travis Bickell-esque Hydell in Lockout, and as far as I am concerned, the saving grace of the movie) and Jacqueline Leonard (a woefully underused British talent any UK viewer will know forever more as Lorraine Wicks in Eastenders) star in this clever and pithy piece set in London.
So with the wonderful casting in place, director Alastair Gourlay only needed a fantastic script. And he has one here, written by himself and Emilio Iasiello. This is a masterclass in short writing. Like a game of tennis, the dialog flies seamlessly between the two characters. This would work just as well as a play: this is usually not a positive comment, but here, it is: unlike many shorts, the story stays within its realm and explores the detail of that space.
Gilgun, reminiscent of Ryan Gosling in The Believer is stunning. And Leonard as usual lives up to her solid chops and delivers a worthy and real performance.
This struck the same chords as Notes On A Scandal or Another Year for me – a gritty, empty and beautiful British film where being lonely becomes poetic.
It's a sad and poignant piece, and to boot, based on a true story - I guess life is more grim than fiction. The only vague critique is that the piece ends around twenty seconds too late, after a seriously brilliant soliloquy that would have left the viewer breathless, but that's just me picking holes in near perfection.
In my reviewing career, I don't say this much: It was a pleasure to review this film and I hope to see more like it from Gourlay in the future. A fine talent.
