"I’d like to see you try and make a movie," goes the occasional taunt from commenters on negative reviews. It’s a pretty unfair stance in a lot of ways, mainly because most critics do what they do out of a genuine love for both film and criticism, and treat it as an art in and of itself and have no secret desire to go off and make movies themselves. That said, there are a number of writers or directors who started their careers by writing about movies first. Like the guy who made "The Last Castle." And, uh, me.
When I’m not writing here at the Playlist or elsewhere, I’m a screenwriter, and earlier this year I wrote a short called "The Listener," which was directed by Michael Gilhooly and produced by Sam Swann and their colleagues at Good Shout. It stars Amit Shah, who you might have seen this summer in "The Hundred Foot-Journey," along with Joanna Horton ("Fish Tank"), Guy Henry ("Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows") and Tony-nominated legend Dame Harriet Walter ("Babel," "Atonement"). They’re all ace in it, and I’m really, really proud of how it’s turned out.
The finishing touches have just been put on the film (literally, like today), and to celebrate, a trailer’s been cut together. And thanks to their enormous generosity, and not too mention the incriminating photos I took at last year’s Christmas party, my editors have kindly allowed us to debut the trailer here at the Playlist. You can watch it below, along with our nifty poster and a synopsis.
The film will be on the festival circuit in 2015, but if you want to know more (or are in the industry and would like to arrange to see it in its entirety), you can email info@goodshout.org. Let us know what you think of the trailer in the comments.
In a society where every word that’s spoken is subject to surveillance, Jeremy is one of the best Listeners
in the business, even if his dedication to his work leads him to a life
of solitude. But just as he’s earmarked for promotion, a beguiling and
mysterious woman joins his team, and he’ll have to choose between his
loyalty to the Directorate, and the possibility of forging a connection
with someone.
