Rhode Island International Film Festival - All That You Love Will Be Carried Away
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away is a tragic and darkly comic short film adapted from a Stephen King story.
Interview with Writer/Director Tom Barbor-Might
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I liked the Stephen King short story that the film is based on. It’s a drama, not one of his horror stories. It’s about someone alone in a motel room deciding whether or not to kill themselves. The narrative hinges on this will she won’t she idea. It’s bleak but also sweetly funny. I like the way comedy always makes tragedy more tragic.
The film is set mainly in one room with one protagonist and most of the action takes place in her head. This is the sort of thing novels do so well and is often considered something that can’t be dramatized on screen. I thought this was a challenge: to try to make a compelling drama from what is essentially a soliloquy. It felt like it’s the sort of story that’s not often told.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I think the central performance from Lesley Sharp is remarkable. People familiar with her films and TV work will know what an incredible actor she is. She brought an enormous amount to this role; it’s mostly just her on screen for 20 minutes and yet she’s utterly riveting.
Apart from that, the film does things you’re not meant to do with shorts. I hope it sucks you into the character’s inner world, so that as you learn more about her, it becomes more uncomfortable to watch. But it’s not all doom and gloom and hopefully it’s a bit funny too.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The story is about loss. It’s about the blank that’s left after someone dies - the blank space where all that life, all that personality used to be. All those experiences, meanings, motivations are suddenly erased, suddenly gone, and utterly unknowable to those of us who are left behind. None of us know a whole person accept ourselves, and even then it’s questionable. In the film, as we watch Alice draft and re-draft her suicide note, we get a small glimpse of her character, what motivates her, and her own experience of loss. Ultimately it’s about a terrible decision; whether or not to destroy yourself, whether not to be.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The process of adapting the short story into a screenplay was a slow one. The script changed a lot and went through many drafts. The central character changed sex and a lot of other elements and details evolved too. In fact the writing never really stopped because the film features a voiceover – Alice’s drafting and re-drafting her suicide note - so we were able to keep tweaking and refining the script throughout the edit. We also improvised a different, unscripted ending on set and it made the final cut.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The film has only just been released on the festival circuit so it’s early days but it’s been accepted to a few festivals already, which is exciting.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
So far audiences are often very moved by the film. Some people have found it a bit brutal. I feel like maybe it’s that kind of thing that as an audience you need to actively decide to watch. You need to go into it with your eyes open, as it were.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Ultimately you make films because you want them to be seen and short films don’t exactly bring in the biggest audiences. So it’s great for it to be circulating as part of community that values this medium and supports and celebrates shorts.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We are very much at the ‘getting it seen’ stage and are looking for as many ways to find an audience as possible. So we are very much looking to work with buyers, sales agents, festival directors, journalist, and reviewers to raise the films profile and get it seen.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Simply, I hope that people find something recognizable and moving in it.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am busy working on various projects at the moment but I am hoping to start shooting a doc-feature project later in the year.
Interview: August 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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All That You Love Will Be Carried Away
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away is a tragic and darkly comic short film adapted from a Stephen King story.
Length: 20 minutes
Director: Tom Barbor-Might
Producer: Neil Edson & Amelia Baker
Writer: Adapted by Tom Barbor-Might. Based upon a short story by Stephen King.
About the Writer / Director:
· Tom Barbor-Might. Tom is a director and writer usually specialising in blue chip documentary. He’s made films all over the world from Siberia to Africa, from LA to Dunstable.
About the producers:
· Neil Edson. Neil is a freelance producer working predominantly on commercials, short form content and music promos. He lives and works in London.
· Amelia Baker. Amelia set up Iracundus Pictures in 2015, as she completed high school, she now lives and works producing in LA.
Key cast: Lesley Sharp
Looking for: Sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalist and reviewers.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pg/AllThatYouLoveShortFilm
Funders: The film was funded through a Kickstarter campaign.
Made in association with: Iracundus Pictures
Where can I see it in the next month?
The film will screen at the Rhode Island International Film Festival at 2:30pm on Friday, August the 11th at the RISD museum.