Jessica “wrote” her first character when she was three years old: Sarah was bad, invisible, and lived in the bathroom. It was Sarah that loved flushing Jessica’s mother’s rollers down the toilet. Thirty years later, critics praised the vivid characters in Jessica’s plays and now, as she is hitting her stride as a filmmaker, her work is again populated by flawed, wrong-headed and original ‘friends’.
Jessica is represented by Julian Friedmann at Blake Friedmann.
Hothouse Project – Wild Dog
A solitary dog warden searches for a mysterious wild dog terrorizing his London suburb. When he befriends the boy living next door, we begin to fear that the killer beast is not what it seems.
When a new Polish family moves in next door, Trevor tries to avoid getting involved but Paul and his attractive mother Mia draw him in.
Trevor’s own focus is on finding the wild dog. As the most gifted animal handler in the area, he feels it is his duty.
One night Paul sees a key in Trevor’s door and can’t resist going in. When Trevor arrives home Paul is trapped and hides. In order to provide a distraction and escape, the boy rings Trevor’s mobile. Trevor believes the text messages he receives from the mysterious number come from some kind of angel or guardian.
Trevor’s life becomes increasingly strange and dangerous as he gets closer to catching the feral dog. The messages are supplemented by unfriendly voices and the mental labyrinth in which he finds himself threatens to destroy not only his life but also that of this anonymous guardian.
Director’s Statement
Wild Dog is a story of mythic simplicity about the friendship between a Polish boy and his troubled but charismatic neighbour Trevor, set against an alien urban landscape that grows increasingly strange.
The mysterious tone, the hinterland between urban and wild landscape, the messages sent through traffic signs, give the film a distinctive world and the potential for a unique look and sound design. Though designed to be realizable on a low budget, the project is highly visually ambitious. We have demonstrated with the short version of the film that the main locations – the dog pens and the disused factory – give iconic value to the project without a lot of art direction.
On the Waterfront is a great reference for this film. Like that film, Wild Dog is sent in a harsh masculine landscape in which weaker creatures – animals and children (and women) get trampled over unless they can find a champion.
Another reference for this film is Memento. Like that film Trevor has a mental issue that alters his perceptions and are a major obstacle. I want the audience to have the “oh my God this must be what it is like” thrill that I get from my favourite films. The ones I return to.
Other Projects
Siouxsie And The Banshee
Siouxsie breaks her grandmother out of her abusive care home for one last hedonistic trip but has no idea why the old lady wants to go to…Switzerland.
When Bernadette has a minor heart attack, doctors also find an aggressive form of cancer and give her months to live. Siouxsie is angry and rebellious and doesn’t understand why Bernadette is taking it lying down – she has enough money to do what she wants.
So the two run away together pursued by Siouxsie’s mother, who long ago gave up on her young punk ideals, and by Siouxsie’s aunt Monica, a floundering writer.
This comedy is about the terrible price of following your dreams. And about the worse cost of not following them. The project is being developed as part of the Edinburgh Festival’s Network scheme.
Benedict’s Brother
After her uncle dies and wants his ashes scattered on the River Kwai, Benedict decides to find her brother who long ago disappeared in Thailand to become a Buddhist monk.
The story charts Benedict’s search for her brother and the adventurous journey the dysfunctional duo take through Thailand to scatter their uncle’s ashes. The film has a big theme about how accepting death allows us to fully engage with our lives. But it also has Buddhist monks on Harley Davidsons.
It is a fresh original film, which like The Beach or Lost in Translation, aims to give a unique and contemporary story set in the Far East.
Jessica has been commissioned to adapt Tricia Walker’s acclaimed novel Benedict’s Brother. Kate Leys is the development associate.