08/03/2007

French outfit Fidélité Productions and Ireland’s Octagon Films have joined forces to produce Agnès Merlet’s third feature, Dorothy Mills. The film is expected to be an English language production and shoot in Northern Ireland this summer.

The director of The Son of the Shark (Best Debut Film at the 1994 European Film Awards, nominated at the BAFTAs and Cesars) and Artemisia (nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Golden Globe in 1998) has chosen to focus the story of Dorothy Mills on multiple personality syndrome, recognised as an illness in the UK and Ireland but not in France. The theme gives rise to a fantasy thriller about a teenager who gradually leads to madness a small community haunted by a secret.

Co-scripted by the director and Juliette Sales (Piccolo & Saxo [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Not Here to Be Loved [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Dorothy Mills follows Jane Morton, a psychiatrist from Dublin in deep mourning following the accidental death of her husband and son, who has to work on a new case: Dorothy Mills, a 15 year-old teenager in a small village who tried to strangle a baby.

After miraculously surviving a car accident, Jane discovers a village darkened by strange events and meets a very nervous Dorothy, who swears she never touched the baby. After analysing the teenager, Jane makes a diagnosis of multiple personality disorder until the day that Dorothy speaks with the voice of David, Jane’s dead son.

A 65% production from the slate of Fidelite Films and 35% from Octagon Films, Dorothy Mills has received backing of €500,000 from Eurimages. Casting is underway, with rumours doing the rounds that British actress Kelly Reilly will star.

Another interesting point is that production of the film – initially written to be set in Scotland – was moved to Ireland after Simon Perry’s intervention at the Irish Film Board.

(Translated from French)