Poster by Gwyneth Binyon
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When the madness of an ill-conceived war in a far away country becomes more than Billy can handle, he runs away from his military unit to return to the only safe place he's ever known, his ex-girlfriend, Sara.
She knows he’s coming. And she's worried. CAST & CREW Billy......David Maybrick Sara......Sophie Stanton Driver......Brett O'Shaughnessy Writer/Director......David Maybrick Producer......Toni Staples DoP......Paul Bulley Editor......Jason Morton Composer......Kim Halliday For a full list of cast and crew please go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1612253/ |
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It's very hard to make a short film - brevity being both the defining discipline and the potential enemy. In order to succeed the exercise demands focus. If ever there was evidence of William Faulkner's edict that one "should murder one's darlings" it is best represented in this form of story telling which is of course the audio visual equivalent of the short story. All forms of story telling, be they jokes or novels rely on the classical structure - proposition, exposition and conclusion - the three acts. Blue Eyed Son has succeeded in firstly fulfilling that prerequiste but more importantly in engaging the audience not only in a single character but in his history, his current relationships - and his future. Like all good stories the consumer is allowed a glimpse of a previous life before the main action begins and is left with a suggestion - which can fuel their imagination - of future developments. This is the guiding principle upon which the short story, be it written, spoken or performed, is built and Blue Eyed Son is a fine example of that. We are left wanting more which, rather than being excessively frustrating, is intriguing - and food and drink for one's imaginings.
Buried inside the piece there is a moral ambiguity which I find stimulating and which makes the piece broader than the sum of it's parts. Dave Maybrick demands our sympathy whilst at the same time asking us to question the character's history and capacity to love and hate. Like us all he is prey to his own demons and the exigencies of fate. We are offered a question: 'Is he a victim or a perpretator of violence?' This ambiguity is at the heart of the piece. Sophie Stanton as his estranged wife displays a similar conundrum moving from fear, to affection, to betrayal. The results of that final betrayal deliver the correct amount of sympathy for the central character in what is the only truly satisfying conclusion to his story. "There but for the grace of God go I." A large statement in a small package. David Drury - September 2009. (Director, Defence of the Realm) |
Blue Eyed Son was written by, directed by and starred David Maybrick. It originally began shooting in 2006, but was interrupted due to various crew members availability (having to rely on good-will and ask favours of people); it took four years before post-production was complete and it could be submitted into festivals. Such is the struggle to make a short film.
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