​LITTLE BONE LODGE DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT - MATTHIAS HOENE

In this story, the love and underlying tension between the two is tested to its extreme. I grew up with two brothers, so the themes of brotherly love, jealousy, motherhood, and family resonate strongly with me. Likewise, the power play between the brothers, Matty's yearning to have a real mom, and Jack's desperate attempt to be a father and brother to Matty at the same time are themes equally important to me. We worked with a sensitivity consultant to ensure we correctly and respectfully portrayed Matty's emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD). Part of that is to treat his character like any other and not make his condition a point of the story. Instead, we consciously tried to convey his EUPD as just another aspect of his character that was present but not dramatised especially.

Neil wrote the character of JACK for himself, and he was living 'in character' on set, which came out in his intense performance. One of the more challenging roles was Roger Ajogbe as PA: he was only allowed to act with his eyes, so I wrote internal monologues for him to 'think' to give him the right headspace for each scene. All the actors truly got into their characters on set, subscribing to varying degrees of method acting, which I tried to support the best I could and think translated to great performances on set.

And while the film is dark and twisted, I wanted to make sure that we can understand the warped logic of each of the protagonists, however psychopathic they turn out to be. With 'Little Bone Lodge,' I wanted to do a film where every element is considered, placed, and choreographed to create tension and mystery and carve the characters into our brains in the most vivid and gut-wrenching way. I also cherished the notion of trying to keep wrong-footing the audience:

The warm, loving mother turns out to be someone entirely different from what we anticipated. The villainous brother seems to have a heart of gold but then reveals his selfish side. The innocent juvenile turns out to be tough as nails. Visually, I wanted to embrace the darkness of the characters and capture the film with dark and moody imagery full of grit, dirt, and texture. The camera is a character in this story: shooting one camera hand-held allowed me to get close to the actor's eye-line and really feel empathy for them.

I aimed to heighten the feeling of isolation and hopelessness by contrasting the claustrophobic character closeups with epic landscapes (which I filmed myself in Scotland). I collaborated with DOP Job Reinecke, and we used an Arri Alexa LF camera and my favourite lenses, the Canon K35's, which are both sharp but have a pleasing vintage flair and character (As used in "Aliens"). We shot wide open as often as possible, again to heighten the characters' sense of isolation. For the soundtrack, I worked with my frequent collaborator, Christopher Carmichael, who combined experimental soundscapes with terrifying beats and haunting melodies, to draw us into the film.

We explored plenty of experimental synth machines, analogue instruments like the viking violin, and makeshift drums. I tried to make the viewer experience a Hitchcockian delight in the twisted darkness of the characters and story. We know something is off, but we don't know what. Dramatic Irony, suspense, and the depth of the characters should keep us glued to the screen and want to take the viewer to a place worse than death and serve up a story impossible to forget.

My film output so far has been eclectic in tone. Still, for my next movie, I look forward to combining the straight-laced actor-driven work I've done with 'Little Bone Lodge' with a twist of comedy, science fiction, or other elements of the crazy stuff that goes on in the head of Hoene. Watch this space. ​