Spears (film)
| Spears | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Gerard Lough |
| Screenplay by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Gerard Lough |
| Edited by | |
| Music by | Sigrid Anita Haugen |
Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
Spears is an upcoming mystery / thriller written and directed by Gerard Lough and starring Aidan O'Sullivan, Bobby Callaway, Nigel Brennan, Michael Parle, Yalda Shahidi, Rebecca Rose Flynn and Thomas Sharkey. The film was shot on location in four countries and is set for release in 2021.
Premise
In Florence, Italy a Private Investigator searches for a woman who mysteriously vanished there. In, London, a Dissident republican does an arms deal with a new seller he does not trust. In Berlin, a scam artist spends a weekend with a married woman he tries to convince to leave with him. Each of the three men make a startling discovery which forces them to team up together in Ireland where they plot revenge on those who have wronged them.[1]
Pre-Production
Eager to try a different genre after the Horror/Sci-Fi Night People, Lough chose Neo-noir with a story that would be inspired by various paranoid thrillers of the 1970s while updating it with modern-day technology and themes. The film was specifically inspired by Sorcerer in terms of its structure of introducing each of the main characters in a separate country before bringing them all together in the one country where the bulk of the action would take place. The was intended to be very rooted in the Neo-Noir genre with a "moody atmosphere and pervading sense of paranoia".[2] The film's title is taken from the Emily Brontë quote: "Treachery and violence are spears pointed by both ends; they would those who resort to them worse than their enemies". Speaking about the film's theme of revenge, Lough said: "I was keen to weave it into a story that would work as a cautionary tale that asks the audience that it may be natural to want to get your own back, but do two wrongs ever make a right? What's interesting is when the three protagonists decide to hit back at another group, the line between the good guys and bad guys becomes blurred very quickly and it's hard to tell them apart after a while. That's why I love the Neo-Noir genre; things are never simply black and white, moral ambiguity abounds... like real life."[3]
Production
Filming began in Donegal, Ireland where it made use of a high number of locations such as Slieve League, Meentycat wind farm and Leenan Fort.[4] The production moved to Florence, Italy where it used locations such as the Duomo cathedral, Piazza della Signoria and Piazza Republica. In an interview with RTE, Lough remembered "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel completely out of my depth on the first night in Florence, Italy. But I quickly pulled myself together when I remembered George Lucas felt the same way when he started shooting in Tunisia for the first time on the first Star Wars film. And I vividly remember that first night, when we first laid eyes on Piazza della Signoria – all lit up, just one of our filming locations. Despite the initial stress, we all knew this was going to be cool."[5] In London, locations used included The Shard and Canary Wharf station. Finally, Berlin locations that were used included the Tiergartan, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and Sony Center. The final three days of principal photography were postposed by five months due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Marketing
A music video using footage from the film was made for the song Counterfeit by Le Groupe Fantastique and was released on 1 July 2019.[6] The track also appears in the finished film.
The teaser poster[7] was released exclusively on Flickering Myth on 20 September 2019 and paid homage to the teaser poster for Strange Days, a movie that inspired Lough to become a film-maker.
The main poster, designed by Chris Barnes, was released on October 16 2020. A more traditional design, it featured the main characters and Florence locations.[8]
The teaser trailer[5] was released on 20 October 2020 as an exclusive on the RTE Entertainment website and featured the song Is This Ready? By Sleep Thieves and a title design that paid homage to opening titles of Alien. While it introduced audiences to the characters and focused on its many locations, it kept plot details under wraps.
Music
The following tracks appear in the film:
2. Rabbit with Hat by Exit: Pursued by a Bear[10]
3. Counterfeit by Le Groupe Fantastique
4. Is This Ready? by Sleep Thieves
References
- ^ "Watch: 2021 Irish thriller Spears featuring soundtracks from Irish artists Shaefri, Sleep Thieves and Exit: Pursued by a Bear". Hot Press.
- ^ McLaughlin, Rachel. "Watch Trailer: Donegal filmmaker unveils second feature film – Donegal Daily".
- ^ http://www.iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4293799&tpl=archnews&force=1
- ^ "Trailer released for new movie from Donegal director". Donegal News. November 3, 2020.
- ^ a b "Watch trailer for new Irish thriller Spears". October 20, 2020 – via www.rte.ie.
- ^ Writer, Staff. "Watch: Edgy music video shot in Letterkenny – Donegal Daily".
- ^ "Exclusive teaser poster reveal for mystery-thriller Spears". Flickering Myth. September 20, 2019.
- ^ https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2020/1021/1172623-watch-trailer-for-new-irish-thriller-spears/
- ^ "Shaefri – Pixelate (2016)". IMVDb.
- ^ "Rabbit With Hat, by Exit: Pursued By A Bear". Exit: Pursued By A Bear.