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KARLOVY VARY 2011 Forum of Independents / USA / UK

Odd pair in Stranger Things

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The feature debut of writer-directors Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal, Stranger Things, had its world premiere at the Woodstock Film Festival, and later won the Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival. It premieres in Europe at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Set in a small town on the southern coast of England, Stranger Things revolves around a young woman Oona (Bridget Collins, in her feature debut) who’s returning to her recently deceased mother’s house, in order to sort out her property. As she spends the first night at her neighbour’s, a homeless man named Mani (Adeel Akhtar, from Four Lions [+see also:
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) breaks into the house, believing it to be deserted. At first Oona chases Mani away, but when she finds his sketchbook with drawings of sculptures made by her mother (including some insightful comments), something clicks in her and she tracks him down. She offers to let Mani stay in the shed, and an odd friendship commences.

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It’s a friendship out of need, as Mani needs a place to stay, and Oona is clearly lonely, but it will turn into much more. She carries around a voice recorder all the time, often replaying old dialogues, or her own monologues. Mani uses his sketchbook for similar purposes.

The central relationship is depicted through subtle visual means – Burke’s camera makes real use of the actors’ expressions, their contrasting looks (Collins is blonde, fair-skinned; Akthar is dark, with big maroon eyes) and controlled mimic in carefully composed close-ups. There is no music and the soundscape plays a significant role.

With a budget of less than €700,000 from private funding in the UK and US public grants, Stranger Things was produced and is handled internationally by Faces Films.

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