Filmmaker Statement

SURPRI-! is a ‘jack in the box’ dark comedy short that explores the issue of unexpected grief, and the ways we find ourselves initially traumatised by loss. I wanted to make SURPRI-! to explore hidden truths and unexpected death in a way that we typically would perhaps choose not to, through humour. Grief is one of the most social of emotions and is an incredibly nuanced and perplexing experience that defies categorisation, and I think is abundantly ripe for bold and challenging cinematic exploration as a result. SURPRI-! creates a discomfort that becomes part of a tense exposé of the chaos of unexpected emotional conditions, and the illogical and desperate states of mind such tragedies can leave surviving individuals in. It traps us in the moment with Simon, our main character, as he finds himself navigating the early tremors of the surprise of discovering a sudden loss - and how this emotion causes him to behave in totally unexpected ways.