A broken hearted man is hiding something in the caravan outside. Luckily his sisters have come to help him face what’s out there.

Interview with Writer/Director Patrick McBain

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you! This film was made as an homage to my family, not only my actual brother and two sisters, but to my chosen “family”, my best friends. The film is a testament to the bonds of these relationships and how they can pull you out of some pretty dark times.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

You should watch this film because it’s funny and sensitive and has an excellent soundtrack featuring some great Melbourne bands. Plus there’s a giant slug puppet covered in lube.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I think the film is pretty universally relatable because I feel like everyone has experienced heartache or heartbreak in some way, shape or form – whether that be if you’ve seen someone go through it, or helped someone through it, or gone through it yourself. As well as the notion of how we may choose to manifest our emotions, like Harry does with the slug.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

When I started writing the script last year, I knew I always wanted it to be about siblings and the connection there. It started out about being about a father that was lost at sea, and the siblings cleaning out his beach house of his belongings, but that seemed really forced and contrived to me. So I stripped it back and tried to bring it closer to home so to speak.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback has been pretty great so far – a lot of high praise for our amazing cast, Ryan Forbes, Simone French and Cariad Wallace. Everyone loves the slug, which is really great as well, cause it’s this awful gross slimy thing, but it’s still somehow cute and endearing.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Some people haven’t understood the use of the slug as a metaphor, which has been surprising.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

By having our film featured on the website hopefully we will reach a wider international audience.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Anyone who is interested in our quirky little film is of interest to us.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

If people connect with the characters, the story and the emotional resonance of the arc, that’s all I can hope for.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

What is the slug and what does it symbolise?

Would you like to add anything else?

There’s a lot of myself in this film, there’s a photo of me and my 2 sisters in dress up from when we were 10, 8 and 5 years old. The family tradition of Cork Up (burning the ends of a wine bottle cork and using the ash to draw on each others’ faces) is a real tradition introduced to my family by my Uncle Tyler.

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

My producer Emma Roberts and I are currently working on our next short, which could potentially flesh out to a feature eventually. It’s still early stages but is loosely going to be based around the story of Captain Moonlite, Australia’s only (known) homosexual bushranger who was around the same time as Ned Kelly and the Kelly gang.

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Slug

A broken hearted man is hiding something in the caravan outside. Luckily his sisters have come to help him face what’s out there.

Length: 10 mins

Director: Patrick McBain

Producer: Emma Roberts

Writer: Patrick McBain

About the writer, director and producer:

Patrick McBain (Writer/Director)

Patrick recently graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts. He currently works as a freelance editor and is writing the follow up to Slug.

Emma Roberts (Producer)

A custom-built producing machine, Emma cut her teeth on commercials before making the switch to narrative. She currently balances freelance producing and production management work.

Key cast:

Ryan Forbes

Simone French

Cariad Wallace

Funders:

Self Funded

Made in association with:

Victorian College of the Arts

Release date:

August 2016

Where can I watch it in the next month?

At Melbourne International Film Festival on August 7th and August 10th as part of the Accelerator program.