The Dark Mile
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in association with Presents THE DARK MILE Starring Rebecca Calder, Deirdre Mullins, Finlay Macmillan with Paul Brannigan & Sheila Hancock RUNNING TIME: 88 minutes UK THEATRICAL RELEASE: TBC PRESS CONTACT: To be confirmed. The Bridge Films Melanie Dicks M: 07775 912955 Index Logline 3 Synopsis 3 Long Synopsis 3 Production Story 4 What is The Dark Mile? 5 Q&A with Gary Love 6 Principle cast biographies 7 Production team biographies 8 Full cast & crew 10 2 The Dark Mile Production Notes Logline Who’s out there… Synopsis “Deliverance” meets “Rosemary’s Baby” – The Dark Mile is a psychological thriller built around a strong central relationship of two very different yet sympathetic characters. When London couple Louise and Clare book a boat trip to recover from personal tragedy - their trip of a lifetime through the Scottish Highlands soon descends into a hellish ordeal as they delve further into the wilds. They’re confronted by layer upon layer of jeopardy from a variety of sources, but neither our heroes nor the audience can tell which threat will ultimately prove decisive. With many twists along the way - we’re kept guessing until the very end. Combining character driven storytelling with more conventional genre set pieces against the powerfully cinematic Highland backdrop. Long Synopsis Six months on from the tragic miscarriage that buried their unborn daughter, London couple Louise and Claire journey to the waterways of the Great Glen in the Scottish highlands for a boating holiday following a new attempt at IVF. For Louise it is a chance to rest and recuperate from her physical and mental ordeal, and for Claire it is a chance to patch their fragmenting relationship. They are greeted by Kevin, a local running a small boat hire business from a dilapidated marina that also hosts some of the valley’s grubbier and more backwater residents. As the girls explore the new environment they meet more of the Great Glen’s mysterious denizens; Mary and Douglas, the odd herb-growing, fiddle-playing elderly couple, Kelly, a stalwart and avoidant barlady, and a weird and openly hostile family with a young pregnant daughter. Night brings disturbing sounds from the forest, and the feeling that not all is as it seems keeps the girls on edge as much as they try to enjoy their holiday and appreciate each other’s company. Meanwhile a lover from Claire’s past reconnects with her via text messages, threatening to destroy Louise’s trust in her if discovered. As the sights and sounds of The Dark Mile grow more sinister, and the actions of the locals more disturbing, Louise’s grip on her emotions and senses is pushed to breaking point while Claire struggles to handle her own fears and frustrations. But the truth is more horrifying than anything either can imagine. Production story: 3 I wanted to show the ramifications of loss. What happens when one loses a baby that’s nearly full term? The hope, the beguiling reactions of others the closeness one feels to the child inside…and then the fall out; the monumental moment when your trusting caring considerate doctor nonchalantly explains ‘the child your carrying is dead’; the child all your hopes and dreams are hanging on, is dead inside your womb. The cosy, comfortable bed Mum has internally given over to this child is ‘not good enough’ for its survival. What happens to Mum then? What happens to Mum’s loving partner then? I’ve unfortunately seen this disaster befall a number of close friends; friends who for a number of reasons really need this baby to make their families complete...staking their lives and lively hoods on ‘completing’ the family….then nothing. The coming to terms with the pain, sorrow, confusion, hate, heartbreak, all rolled into…’oh well, you’ll get over it….it was obviously not meant to be’... A Mothers mind just isn’t ready for plain, bald words at that time. I find this dilemma intoxicating ….the Mothers only need is for emotional answers…she can only be satisfied with the love of the lost child, but that child and the reciprocating love will never arrive. That’s the unexplainable pain I wanted in this film. What tricks that can play on the mind, how that feeling of remorse/fault/blame can make all others seem irrelevant…only the lost child can put a band aid on the sore. And then there are the ‘others’…others who live and breathe their cherished land and its history. That live and breathe their ancestor’s rituals…that believe a child is a gift from God and should, therefore, be gifted to their ancient forefathers – the ancient Gods…Theirs is not personal, theirs is a pastime, a pact with some form greater than themselves…their ways are the only ways and the traditions must remain or else the land and its riches won’t be replenished for future generations. The Dark Mile is a film about pain and loss and the tentative joy that can follow when one is presented with a second chance. Its also about how quickly in the hands of others it can all be snatched away. Actors: It was important that they had a difference between them, yet a chemistry that could show their deep need and reliance for each other...a bond that had been ripped apart and sorely needed repair…but we didn’t want to use words to get this over to the audience…so the art in the casting was to get them to say less and react with clear honest emotions, something both Rebecca Calder (Louise) and Deirdre Mullins (Clare) had enormous pleasure in executing. Having been an Actor for 25 years myself it was important to me that the Actors felt comfortable/in tune in their surroundings...but not too comfortable i.e. we needed Louise (Rebecca) to look like she could handle a boat of significant size, hoisting sails, tying it off on awkward jetty’s etc. in a manner that befitted a seasoned sailor, but our budgetary restraints meant we didn’t have a lot of time with the boat before we started shooting. Claire (Deirdre) had to look like a ‘fish out of London’ a complete novice….but as we know 3 days on any kind of ‘life’ contraption means you learn quick….so we had the Girls do extensive boat handling because there were a number of times when they had to sail the boat on their own in the middle of huge lochs and differing weathers and speak!…After only a few days with the brilliant help from our Skipper, they were accomplished and ready for open waters. True seaman…I think! Given the film is set and entirely shot in the Highlands it was critically important to tell this story in 4 the most authentic way possible and with the same budgetary constraints in place we had to use whatever was available in the locations….and boats can be expensive! Ask the Producers of Waterworld. “We rehearsed extensively not just on their characters and the emotional journey they each embark on, but whilst sailing; doing daily physical boat rigours, all work they’d encounter whilst lonesome in the middle of no-where. Both lead actors worked solidly on everything from tying off sails and knots to checking rudders etc. Not many things went wrong…..well no one that I can mention here and no animals, boats or humans were hurt in the making of this film! Production team: We were insistent that the ‘set’ and costumes were real…nothing fake and nothing new except for ‘Claires’ London garbs…She had to stand out as the real outsider even though Louise an outsider also understood; having sailed before knew how to fit in. The visual impact of the film came from intensive collaboration with our brilliant Production Designer, Sarah Kane, Art Director, Tom Read and Director of Photography John Pardue. They and their teams worked tirelessly on every microscopic detail, dressing the ‘Workboat’ with the pennies we had available, delivering a cinematic animal that cruised through the vast waters of the Caledonian Canal with trepidation…..and all of it sitting under the serene yet powerful shadow of Ben Nevis. They and their teams delivered atmosphere and soul to this God given landscape realizing it’s unique beauty. The Production team worked on extensive logistics with Scottish Canals so it could be shut to all water traffic during the filming period, giving the us a unique advantage in realizing the landscape’s foreboding quality. What is The Dark Mile? Deep in the Scottish Highlands, over the highest bevelled peaks, across the deep waters of Loch Lochy, a stream cuts a lonely pathway through one of the darkest forests in the world. Flanked by ancient moss-covered stone walls and vanguarded by steep slopes of ferns, the area is a registered SSSI - Site of Special Scientific Interest. The locals know this magical area by a single name; Mìle Dorcha. Gaelic for "The Dark Mile". The valley is an aged and mysterious part of the Great Glen, famed for it's rich cultural identity and the legendary history of its ancient people, and the dark beauty of its natural landscape. As The Bridge Films debut feature it was important to us that we were able to successfully reduce our environmental impact on the special area’s provided to us with the help of The Scottish Forestry Commission, Scenery Salvage, and the environmental and sustainability consultancy Greenshoot. During production every care was taken to protect the natural environment of the locations used.