The Lives of the Saints
Synopsis
The story unfolds in the cafés, clubs and shops of Green Lanes, where Mr Karva is the boss: a ridiculous yet dangerous man. Othello, his stepson, is the young pretender, palling around with his girlfriend Tina and his weak-willed lackey Emilio. Life revolves around socialising, gambling and trying to scrape a modest living.
But that lifestyle is about to be thrown into disarray by an otherworldly, sickly-looking 10-year- old child. Mr Karva's errand boy, Roadrunner, stumbles across the child in the park and offloads the bizarre find into Othello's basement.
Thus begins an exhilaratingly strange series of events. It seems that the child is able to grant others their innermost desires... Soon Othello's dreams of limitless wealth are becoming reality. And true to form, his tyrannical stepfather wants to muscle in on the action.
It's Paradise on the streets of north London, but family ties and relationships are becoming increasingly strained and as Mr Karva himself says, 'every Paradise got its serpent'. He persuades the unstable Emilio to take the matter into his own hands, and the tale plummets towards its tragic conclusion.
The Lives of the Saints is a truly original, modern-day fable, which warns that what we wish for is not always what we need.
Details
- Year
- 2006
- Type of project
- Features
- Running time
- 100 mins
- Format
- 35mm
- Director
-
Rankin, Chris Cottam 1st Feature
- Producer
- Augusto Romano
- Executive Producer
- Augusto Romano
- Editor
- Chris Gill
- Screenwriter
- Tony Grisoni
- Director of Photography
- Baz Irvine
- Sound
- David Lascelles
- Composer
- Rob Lane
- Principal cast
- James Cosmo, Marc Warren, David Leon, Emma Pierson, Bronson Webb, Sam MacLintock, Gillian Kearney, Daon Broni, James Cook, Jude Cook, Paddy Fletcher
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
Dazed Film & TV
112 Old StreetLondon EC1V 9BG
UK
T+44 (0)20 7549 6840
laura@confused.co.uk
Page updates
This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
Frank and Percy
Director: Sean Mathias
Year: 2026
When two older men cross paths whilst walking their dogs on Hampstead Heath, casual chat about the weather and bad hips slowly gives way to something deeper. As their friendship blossoms into an unexpected romance, they must decide whether to take a chance on love. With sharp humour and touching moments, FRANK AND PERCY is a heartfelt life affirming tale that proves it’s never too late to love again.
Fly Little Bird
Director: Johannes Boesiger
Year: 2026
Judith, an American singer-songwriter struggling with addiction, flees her Jewish relatives' West Bank settlement and finds refuge in Ramallah with Leena, a British-Indian journalist, and Rafiq, a Palestinian photographer. Judith falls in love with Rafiq and reconnects with music through local DJ Amira, but when her grandfather threatens military intervention, Leena escorts Judith to London. Rafiq doesn't follow. Although Judith performs again, her freedom and artistic expression prove fragile.
Tales of the Underworld
Director: Darren S. Cook
Year: 2026
Told through the eyes of a journalist digging too deep - exposing a ruthless criminal empire where missing men, police informants, and shifting loyalties make survival a dangerous game.