Directed by Louis-Jack
Written by Kenneth Emson
Produced by Morgan Faverty
A washed up, former wunderkind of the snooker world has one last chance to revive his career. Battling with addiction and the ghosts of his past, there is more at stake than just the score.
PETRICHOR is a dark, psychological exploration of fame, sport and depression.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH LOUIS-JACK
Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
Image making is very much in my blood. My grandfather was a food photographer and my parents are photographers’ agents. I went to art school where I mainly created sculpture but constantly found myself drawn back towards photography: taking large format photos and displaying them in sculptural frames or making films that documented the collaborative processes behind making my sculptures. The moment I realised that filmmaking would allow me to pursue all of my interest in one medium whilst also working with other people (which I love doing), I was hooked. It’s been a love affair with the medium ever since.
What is your inspiration and influences behind PETRICHOR?
The film began first and foremost with my love of snooker. The game itself is wonderfully tense, atmospheric and beautiful. I find all of the tactics, skill and mind game within it so captivating. But, the thing I love above all else are the characters within it. At snooker’s peak of popularity in the 70s and 80s they called it ‘a soap opera with billiard balls.’ Punch ups, heavy drinking (including during matches!) and salacious scandals were the norm. If you don’t know snooker stars like Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins, Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White and Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ O’Sullivan look up their life stories. Their antics filled the tabloids front and back in equal measure.
Equally, I was fascinated by what happens to sportspeople once they retire from their profession. I was trying to imagine what it’s like when it comes to an end. When you’ve dedicated your whole life to a sport, where your entire being and raison d'être is bound up in this single activity. We tend to focus on sport stars, and whilst it must be hard for them too, what about the ones who never made it despite sacrificing just as much, if not more. With snooker’s waning popularity, that seemed even more pertinent. In Petrichor, we are confronted with the plight of an aging snooker star unable to quit the sport despite being forgotten by society and lacking any ability to play the game.
In terms of inspiration from cinema, I love ‘Slow Cinema’ and thought that it was the natural method of telling a snooker story. Treating the story like a flowing stream: peaceful on the surface whilst turbulent beneath. Filmmakers Claire Denis, Andrei Tarkovsky, Hiroshi Teshigahara and Gus Van Sant are just a few of the biggest influences on how I envisioned Petrichor during its making.
Can you tell us about the journey of developing your film with BFI Network and Film London?
The application process through Film London was long and rigorous. We applied through the normal route and once the project was long listed we had rounds of workshops and interviews until we were finally selected for funding. Although the waiting was frustrating at points I think the extra time and scrutiny from writing to editing definitely made the film better. I would definitely recommend people to apply with their shorts.
Can you tell us about your process working with actors and how working with such established actors on PETRICHOR affected your process?
In general, I like to spend a lot of time talking with actors about the character and the story well before filming. I want to hear their ideas, find out how they relate to the story and ultimately allow them to shape the character in their own way. Working with very established actors that’s even more true. Paul Kaye and Clive Russell gave so much to the roles and they needed very little direction. Leaning into their experience and instinct was an incredible ride that took us to some unexpected places. Paul’s commitment was beyond what I could have possibly hoped for: offering to strip down to his y-fronts and unleashing his animal side for the camera.
What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?
Paul Kaye breaking three snooker cues! To be honest, the filming was a breeze compared to the many ups and downs with three years of development/ fund-raising and then releasing the film during a global pandemic.
Filmmakers are always curious to know how to make their projects more attractive to large funding bodies like the BFI. Since you've been through the process do you have any tips?
What really helped in my case was creating a really comprehensive and well-presented pitch book for the film. We had a PDF treatment of course but when you really want to grab someone’s attention nothing beats a sexy physical object. We sent this to Film London along with the standard online application and I can’t help but think it helped. I definitely made a big difference in brining on board actors (including Paul Kaye) and HODs who were out of my league.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
After working on the film for a very long time, including a 6 month post process, we finished the film in the first lockdown. Once festivals came back in various online forms we began applying. Although the film picked up selections and accolades, pretty much all of the festivals were online. The festivals did a great job at putting on online iterations but unfortunately, it’s not the same as attending in person – getting to see other people watch your film and meeting other filmmakers is such a buzz. Despite being a fairly niche subject matter the film has found an online audience, helped massively by snooker fan and mental health advocate Stephen Fry giving it his praise on twitter.
What are you working on now?
In development I have a feature-length snooker film and a short film titled Tondal: a cyclical and hallucinatory odyssey through purgatory set within the confines of a nightclub. The Tondal project was recently profiled in Fact Magazine with a trippy screen test and CGI painting a teaser for what’s to come!
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
I’ve been looking out for clubbing scenes in films recently which lead to me A Fantastic Woman. A very touching and powerful film by Chilean director Sebastián Lelio about a transgender woman dealing with the aftermath of her lover’s sudden death.
The film was produced by (also Chilean) director Pablo Larrain, whose early film Tony Manero was a big influence on Petrichor. It’s the deliciously dark tale of a ‘Saturday Night Fever’ obsessive who will do anything to be crowned the best John Travolta impersonator.