Projects matching: Sophie Hyde

Synopsis

Nancy Stokes, a retired school teacher and widow, is yearning for some adventure, some human connection, and some sex. Good sex. Whilst her husband Robert provided a home, a family, something resembling a life, good sex was never on offer. But he’s gone now, and Nancy has a plan: she will find adventure with an escort named Leo Grande. In an anonymous out-of-town hotel room Nancy greets Leo. He looks every bit as good as his picture, but what Nancy wasn’t expecting was conversation as well as fornication. Leo has a view on everything, and though he may not always tell the truth, Nancy finds she likes him. And he likes her. With growing sexual confidence, Nancy starts to relax. Over the course of several rendezvous, the power dynamics shift and their well-worn masks begin to slip. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2022 - World premiere

Synopsis

Laura and Tyler, best friends and drinking buddies, whose hedonistic existence falls under the creeping horror of adulthood when Laura gets engaged to Jim – an ambitious pianist who surprisingly decides to go teetotal. Laura and Tyler are soulmates. Thirty-something best friends and revellers residing in Dublin, they are ingrained in the fabric of each other’s lives; dating, partying, drinking and living their life without limitations. American ex-pat, Tyler – a siren of drugs, alcohol and debauchery – lures aspiring writer, Laura, away from her long overdue novel as well as her new beau, the irresistibly handsome Jim. A tee-total classical pianist, Jim is the antithesis of Tyler and the world she and Laura inhabit, and with his presence the girls’ hedonistic double act finds itself in jeopardy. While Tyler wants to keep the party going, Laura, buoyed by Jim’s restraint and stability, starts to emerge from her years of partying, searching for her place in the world. Caught between desires – youth and adulthood, her old self and her future self – Laura impulsively gets engaged to Jim, knocking Tyler for a loop. Bereft at the thought of losing of her partner in crime, Tyler spies a chance to rock the boat of the “perfect” life Laura can see on the horizon, but in doing so inadvertently helps Laura find a new unexpected path to independence. At once both a celebration of female friendship and an examination the choices we make when facing a crossroad, ANIMALS is an honest, funny, edgy, unconventional and bittersweet snapshot of modern women. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2019 - Premieres - World premiere