Creditors (2015), is British filmmaker, Ben Cura’s first film as director. Additionally, he is also the producer, writer and lead actor. Primarily an actor, Cura has starred in films, The Devil’s Violinist (Bernard Rose, 2013) and Comes a Bright Day (Simon Aboud, 2012).
The film is gaining recognition within the festival circuit and first premiered on October 31st in New York at the Nordic International Film Festival where it was awarded Winner of Best Nordic Narrative Feature. An adaptation of Swedish playwright, August Strindberg’s play, Creditors tells an updated version of the story between the crippled artist, Freddie Lynch (Cura) and stranger, Grant Pierce (Christian McKay) who introduces himself to Lynch, claiming to be a great fan. Lynch invites Pierce to stay with him and provides him with a room at the hotel he is staying at whilst his wife, Chloe is away.
Creditors STILL Ben Cura and Christian McKay (courtesy Tough Dance)
The two form an interesting relationship with an imbalance of power as Pierce encourages Lynch to confess his insecurities about his relationship with his wife. The film’s narrative engages with subjects of relationships and male insecurities and anxieties. The three main characters are played by Cura, Christian McKay (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Tomas Alfredson , 2011), Me and Orson Welles (Richard Linklater, 2008), The Theory of Everything (James Marsh, 2014)) and Andrea Deck (The Devil’s Violinist (Bernard Rose, 2013) and Les Misérables (Tom Hooper, 2012)). All give compelling performances, bringing their characters to life and giving them depth.
Creditors STILL Andrea Deck and Tom Bateman (Courtesy Tough Dance)
The film’s alluring story comprises of themes of malice, manipulation, love and betrayal, setting up a number of binary oppositions including, man/woman, logic/creativity, faith/distrust, dominance/submission, love/hate. These oppositions are reflected in the film’s visual style. The narration is disjointed and the story is often interrupted with small, isolated montage sequences that comprise of beautiful imagery of Lynch and Chloe in rural landscapes.
These vignettes within the film do not contain any dialogue and resemble the aesthetics of French arthouse films of the silent era. The editor, Teresa Font, has worked as an editor for twenty five years and has been involved in the making of many prestigious European films including Jamón, Jamón (1992), The Day of the Beast (1995) and Dance with the Devil (1997).
Creditors STILL Simon Callow (Courtesy Tough Dance)
The film also presents striking cinematography by Ben Hecking and is shot entirely in black and white. The stunning imagery is accompanied with a magnificent score by composer and pianist, Nina Aranda.
Ultimately, Creditors is an intelligent thought-provoking film which questions gender roles, female sexuality and male anxieties, making for an enjoyable and compelling watch.
Find out more about Creditors on there Twitter, Facebook and website creditorsfilm.com.
Susanne Hodder, better known as Sue is a film reviewer from North Wales with an academic background and a first class honors degree in film studies. Also a keen filmmaker, Sue has helped produce a number of short films as part of a creative team. She also undertakes independent projects, shooting and editing her own wildlife documentary shorts and photographs.
