‘A Brixton Tale’ reflects on the relationship of the new generations with screens

The Meeting Point section of the 66th Seminci screened this Sunday, October 24, 2021 the short film Nuit sans Sommeil and the feature length A Brixton Tale, the first by Darragh Carey and Bertrand Desrochers. “It is a film about race, class and love that explains what happens when images are not used properly or when images are mistaken for reality,” explained Carey during the presentation, alongside screenwriter and producer Rupert Baynham.

Carey and Desrochers, who expressed their deep appreciation to an almost full house, have known each other since film school, and worked together on other projects such as the shorts Cannot Camping or The Holt. “A Brixton Tale began as a script that Rupert wrote six years ago,” they explained, in reference to the film’s screenwriter. It took five years to bring it to the screen and therefore “it is super important to be able to show it in front of an audience.”

Leah, a young wealthy youtuber, meets a shy and poor boy. Even though they come from completely different worlds they can’t help starting a relationship. So far it may seem like the typical cliché but, as the directors explained in their presentation, A Brixton Tale “is a film in which different textures and different types of images interact in order to challenge us about the use we currently make of recording devices and screens” .

With this film they wanted to show what happens to people and their brains “now that we spend all day with our smartphones and see ourselves and others through screens,” Desrochers explained.

Before the screening of this feature at the Fundos venue, viewers could watch the short film Nuit Sans Sommeil, Jeremy Van der Heagan’s third work. The Belgian short deals with the daily routine of a rural family. A boy who likes to dress up, a small town, and the return of the wolf are the ingredients that make up a tale about hidden desires.

A Brixton Tale and Nuit Sans Sommeil will show again on Tuesday, October 26 at 10:00 pm in the same venue.