Projects in genres: Drama

Synopsis

Quite Contrary tells the tale of a bored man. It is both a study of loneliness and a patient, quiet film. Emotionally blank, the man is compelled to fill his moments with incident. The distractions he stumbles across, a lawnmower, an ashtray, Mary, are pleasurable and frivolous. They cannot be maintained. The man does not enjoy himself, but rather avoids a lack of enjoyment. With others drawn to him, and with a natural urge towards introspection, the man is forced to make decisions with consequences. Quite Contrary is whimsical and sad, as is the man. Both are fictitious.

Synopsis

Eddie Harris is a 'normal' dad, who loves his life, his job and most of all his family. His philosophy is honesty and frankness and agrees with his wife Jeanie to be totally open when answering their children's questions, no matter how embarrassing. This backfires when their daughter stumbles in on them making love, and proceeds in all innocence to regale her school with her inside knowledge of carnal pleasures. Jeanie is asked to see the Headmistress who is slightly concerned at the level of Katie's knowledge and at a picture Katie has drawn of Eddie dressed up as a 'rough old granny' as part of a bath-time game. Eddie soon finds himself being investigated and, in an attempt to keep his family together, is forced to exile himself from his family until the matter is dealt with. While in exile Eddie gets some misguided advice from his best friend Cliff and embarks on a quest to become a 'normal' dad again. 'Re-inventing Eddie' - based on the critically acclaimed West End play 'One Fine Day' - has a theme that is extremely relevant and ultimately timeless, resulting in a quest that is a funny but extremely poignant and moving journey of lost innocence and false accusations.

Synopsis

Uncared for by the community, Rick, recently mad, is looking for somewhere warm to commit suicide. Instead he finds George, a downtrodden doormat of a man, recently separated. In turn they stumble upon the smouldering, embittered, man-mountain that is Joe, recently bereaved. One game of pool and several drinks later these three disparate men are thrown together on a journey no-one wants to take, to a destination no-one believes exists, chased by a man no-one should meet - Then there's the Hippies, George's ex-wife, a robbery, drugs, amputation, muggings, Brownies, the Police, explosions and this really, really gorgeous girl.

Synopsis

Relativity is a funny, sexy, look at the fragmenting family. Seven-year-old Cielle, her black British mother Marcia and latest boyfriend Frank describe a minor domestic 'accident'. One event, three different versions. But which, if any, is the truth? By chance, Cielle reveals the comic absurdity of modern existence.

Synopsis

Remoteis a drama set in a rural part of East Anglia and centres on a man, his disabled father and neighbour. The uneasy relationship between the three comes to a head in a shocking denouement.

Synopsis

Ten years ago, the Duke murdered Vindici's wife on their wedding day. Vindici fled. His family fell into poverty, while the Duke, Duchess and their decadent sons acquired wealth and power. Today, Vindici returns. With the help of his brother Carlo, he sets about the destruction of the Duke and his entire clan. But it will not be easy - the Duke is well protected; and his villainous first-born, Lussurioso, is determined to seduce Vindici's sister - Castiza. When the Duke's youngest son is imprisoned for the rape of a beautiful aristocrat, Imogen, Vindici sees an opportunity to secure his revenge. Alex Cox directs a fantastically futuristic version of the Jacobean play.

Synopsis

My mum, she always said to me, 'Anything you do, my son, always leave it neat and tidy' and, do you know, it's a bit of advice I've always followed. And by an odd twist of fate, the line of work I landed up in made that advice all the more appropiate. But I must confess, as I get a little older it gets a little harder, leaving everything - neat and tidy.

Synopsis

Tyler is a drummer, Marianne his girlfriend, Fredrik her lover, Laura the girl in the petrol station. A car chase, kidnap, dance scene, scratch card, hippie wedding, Beetle that keeps breaking down. Something that could suddenly fall from the sky and hit somebody's head, anytime.

Synopsis

A film about seeing and feeling: that treacherous task of making sense of the world. Laura begins her first adult job and is immediately torn between the professional advice of colleagues and instinctive empathy for the patients in her care. Tragic events bring conflict to crisis forcing a final and defining choice.

Synopsis

A dark drama revolving around four characters, two men and two women, who all live in the same house and start out the film as two couples. Throughout the film three of the main characters crack up. They do this in different ways, under different conditions. They all have strains, and these help push them to the edge and over it. The film shows this progression. At the start, everything is perfect, but things change very quickly and everything continually deteriorates throughout the film. Some of the pressures experienced by the characters include, work pressures, relationship issues and money problems. But that does not cover all the issues that are involved. There are many other pressures as well, but often these are far too complex to easily pigeonhole. The characters all seem to have a negative impact on each other, and they all help contribute heavily to each other's demise. One of the characters observes the other three change and break down around him, but he doesn't really see any of it, until the explosive end.

Synopsis

Spain 1492. Inseparable sisters Isabel and Clara have their privileged lives torn apart by the arrival of the Inquisition, which decrees that all Jews must either convert to Catholicism or be banished into exile. The sisters flee to Holland, where Isabel assumes the role of head of the family and arranges for Clara to marry Alfonso Salvador, with whom Clara has a daughter, Victoria. Alfonso's trading activities amass a fortune for the family, and he and Isabel use their influence to help other Jews escape the Inquisition. Despite their fortune, the threat of discovery is always nearby; tragedy strikes again when Alfonso's activities are discovered and he is executed. Isabel, Clara and Victoria must flee once again. This time their destination is the great maritime empire of Venice, from where they plan to make a final escape to the safety of Turkey. On arrival in Venice, Isabel tries to negotiate their passage to Istanbul, but the Turks insist that as payment they want to learn the secrets of Venetian glassmaking - a national treasure, the details of which are guarded under death penalty. Isabel realises that she and Clara will have to penetrate Venetian society if they are to learn the secrets of glass and achieve their escape to Turkey.

Synopsis

The sights and sounds of a summer afternoon in the South Devon countryside, seen through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy.