Filmmaker Statement

I am passionate about exploring the spectrum of gender and sexuality in my work. As a gay man, and as a filmmaker, I am curious to free them up and to create stories which are more nuanced and expressive than bound to tradition. This is my first film. In this film I set out to explore the use of aspect ratio and to conjure a feeling of constriction/subconscious projection and expansion. I believe a story should be felt and experienced as a priority over an audience being told a story. Personally, this is my taste. From the writing of the script through to the execution on set I was always led from a sensory foundation. Everything is about the minute detail and how the atmosphere of the setting and character feel. Direct references for the film were Wuthering Heights by Andrea Arnold, Mommy by Xavier Dolan and Le Quattro Volte by Michelangelo Frammartino. From the cinematography down to the sound design I plan to put the audience at the centre of Joe’s experience, to encapsulate them. To give them the feeling of this struggle and suffocation.