ASH MORRIS : A BRITISH FILMMAKER TO WATCH
2010 - The world was introduced to the Crawleys and their personnel. “Downton Abbey” took viewers by storm. I’m bed-ridden. I’m fighting a letter that more often than not, carries a death sentence.
Years pass by, I travel extensively in-between treatement sessions, I co-produce a documentary, and I write a lot. I’m young but I feel a higher sense of urgency. I eventually conquered, the beast is down.
2017 - Remission coincided with a lot of catching up on cultural nourishment. My good friend Sophie Saleyron, publicist extraordinaire, highly recommends “Downton Abbey”. I check it out : 52 episodes, 6 seasons, dammit, I have a life to live, and it’s an awfully long commitment ! Yet , my curiosity is piqued, I abide.
The opening sequence mesmerized me. I’m hooked ! I wonder how I could haved missed on the limpy valet. Who the heck was this actor ? Definitely not in his prime, with raw talent and charismatic presence -- his fans called him Mr. Bates, I discovered Brendan Coyle. I became fascinated by the sublety of his performance, and loved how he captured the essence of his character.
I grew up obsessed with cinema. Movies offered me the greatest escape from school, which I often skipped to find refuge in theaters. I idolized Gassman, Cooper, Newman, Hoffman, Streep, Lange, and felt like I would never experience such excitement ever again. Not until this happens !
I binged-raced “Downton Abbey” in 5 days, barely slept, and watched everything I could get my hands on featuring Brendan Coyle.
A few months later, I flew from L.A to London to see Coyle perform "St. Nicholas" on stage, which I saw again a few days later in… Dublin ! I wanted to experience that glorious pleasure of spotting different inflections, possibly a different acting approach. The man didn’t disappoint and Conor McPherson’s writing was utterly brilliant.
Deep inside this newfound quest, I stumbled upon wonderful British productions, and even penned a screenplay inspired by Coyle’s career. In some odd fashion, my discovery of Brendan Coyle brought about several others.
One of them was the teaser of a short film partially produced by Coyle’s production company Anderson Shelter, and directed by Ash Morris -- called “Bare”. It had great qualities that immediately caught my attention. It first intrigued me because the story revolved around boxing. I’ve always enjoyed the noble art. My father and I would watch matches together. These were moments of communion I treasured. I longed to see the entire film.
I connected with Ash Morris, and he kindly emailed me a link with this note : “It's a pretty tough watch!”. Indeed I did not expect “Bare” to be gory at all. However, even if horror films aren’t my cup of tea, it didn’t turn me off. It’s a captivating film in many regards.
The photography is gorgeous, and the film has a compelling cinéma vérité style originating from Ash Morris’ interest in social realism. As he writes on his online page he makes “Films/Documentaries that blur the lines between fiction and non-fiction”.
2018 - I met with Ash in Oxford on a heavy rainy day. Since this interview, he got selected for 2019/20 BAFTA Crew talent development programme, and joined the 4STORIES initiative. He directed “Adulting” due to air on BBC. A middle-aged man with a scruffy beard and a bright future, Ash Morris is a British filmmaker to watch.
Follow me on Twitter: @Getreelprods
Click on the video below for my conversation with Ash Morris⬇︎
