By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The new British independent feature SHE LIVED ON FRANKLIN AVENUE digs deep into the psyche of a damaged young woman, and we’ve got the exclusive first look at the trailer, a new pic and poster and words from the creators.
Filmmakers David Campion and Ben Simpson of Black Math Pictures debuted with the 2011 release PATROL MEN, about an isolated island whose residents are under a very strict curfew. Their latest movie, Campion tells RUE MORGUE, was “partly inspired by Brexit and the social divide that appeared in the wake of that polarizing campaign. SHE LIVED ON FRANKLIN AVENUE was born out of frustration and anger—not only with the social situation around us, but from our own anxieties about turning 30 without ‘stable careers’ in the industry.”
The film’s unnamed title character (played by Michelle Crane) exists on the fringes of society, making her way through a hostile environment as she heads for the place she fears most: her former home. “I guess it’s a serial-killer film,” Campion says, “but we never get close to slasher territory. It plays more like a bad trip—one long, horrible descent into the mind of a truly disturbed human being. Basically, the perfect date movie!” The cast also includes Frank Ryan, Krzysztof Broda-Zurawski, Maisie Young, Martin Whatley and Jason Rosato.
Shot in the countryside and deserted seaside towns in and around Dorset in South West England, SHE LIVED ON FRANKLIN AVENUE was an intimate production, shot on a tight 12-day schedule with a small crew. “There were definitely times during the shoot when we suffered from cabin fever,” Simpson says. “We were filming and living in the same house, shooting pages and pages of really disturbing material in close quarters. We were playing catch-up, because the camera broke five days into production, so it was rough. But you can see that intensity on the screen.”
The duo cite everything from HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER and TETSUO to UNDER THE SKIN and even SIMON, KING OF THE WITCHES as influences. SHE LIVED ON FRANKLIN AVENUE is now completed and headed for the festival circuit; you can keep up with the movie at Black Math’s Facebook page.
