The Strange Fate of Eli Jesus
A religious man accidentally breaks all ten commandments in one day.
Interview with Writer/Director Reuben Vick
Main photo: Anji Locke and Tim Licata in The Strange Fate of Eli Jesus.
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
A lot of my ideas prior were rather serious, and it bothered me that I hadn’t incorporated my sense of humour into many things that I’d done. I was also aware of the difficulty and unique challenge of making comedy, so I wanted to give it a go.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Comedy is very subjective, so to say that you should watch it because you’ll laugh would be presumptuous. So instead I’ll say that it has a scene where a man is brought to sexual climax while having a vision of God. If that doesn’t hook you then I should give it a miss.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film is not primarily thematic – it takes a silly conceit – religious man accidentally breaks all 10 commandments in a day – and runs with it. Having said that, I think there is some subtext to do with morality, specifically to do with how it’s viewed from a religious perspective.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The script’s structure didn’t change very much – due to the essential nature of the idea, it had to be based around the character breaking the commandments, and how that would happen, so it naturally suggested a quite rigid structure from the start. What changed a lot more was tightening up, making things happen faster and cutting away things which would have made it more bloated and self indulgent.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Pretty good – it’s certainly had a lot more attention from festivals than I would ever have expected, especially for such a long short. I think the film in general is probably something of an acquired taste, so I think it can easily go either way.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I think that some of the feedback has both confirmed and allayed some fears I had that the film came across as looking down on the main character, and people of faith in general. So it may be that it comes down to a matter of opinion, but either way it has made me think more about that, and tone in comedy and narrative perspective in general.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I am mainly looking to sell a surplus of pink dressing gowns from a crowd scene of heaven that had to be cut. It may be the most unnecessary purchase of garish bath wear in history. Apart from that, it would be great if some people watched the film once it’s online, which will be soon, and commented with appropriately offensive negative criticism.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I’m not sure that the film has a message as such – I think it was basically supposed to be as entertaining and ridiculous as possible. It will be entered into festivals for a little while longer, so any further exposure of that kind would be great, especially for the actors, who are all brilliant. And also, any major department stores that buy dressing gowns in bulk, please, get in touch.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I think that first and foremost if people find it funny, that would be the best reaction by far. Beyond that, if it is memorable and seems unique to people in some way, either positively or negatively, then it will have had more impact than a film with a borderline celestial blowjob in it deserves.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
I think in seriousness, if there is a serious conversation to be had as a result of the film then it would be to do with the usefulness of the 10 commandments as a guideline for morality.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
The ‘key creatives’ (read: perpetrators) of this ‘project’ are currently, through no vocation of their own, going into the dressing gown business. During spare time I am also submitting another short film called The Orchard to festivals.
Interview: March 2017
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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
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The Strange Fate of Eli Jesus
A religious man accidentally breaks all ten commandments in one day.
Length: 33 mins
Director: Reuben Vick
Producer: Heather McGregor
Writer: Reuben Vick
About the writer, director and producer:
Reuben Vick studied Film and Television at the Edinburgh College of Art, and has worked as a sound recordist and designer.
Key cast: Tim Licata, Anji Locke, Sean Higgs, Patsy Blower, Nick Cheales, Michael Frame.
Where can I see it in the next month?
Depending on any additional film festival selections, the film should be online to view on Vimeo within the month.