Plot

Connor, the new kid in school, is a lonely boy whose only friend is a stuffed toy named Beadie. When Connor brings Beadie to school, despite his father's warnings, a run-in with a bully leads to horrific consequences.

   От режиссёра

Let’s Be Friends is a personal examination of masculinity and child development through the lens of fantasy horror. Beadie, a boy’s doll that becomes a monster, represents a sensitive emotionality that many boys learn to hide when coming of age. I wanted to use an absurd concept, a fantastical world, to explore destructive social expectations put upon men and boys, and the complex decision to label some childhood emotions and behaviors as dangerous. Horror is a genre that is especially ripe for cultural critique and subtext. My favorite film examples are Raw, A Nightmare On Elm Street 2, Get Out, and The Nature of Nicholas. Through researching these films and their writers, I became fascinated by the idea of telling an important and personal story in the context of the absurd.

For the production of Let’s Be Friends, I led a group film students in an independent study at the University of Connecticut in Spring 2018. The film involved a crew of fifteen people, a main cast of four actors, and twenty-five extras, primarily middle school-age children. This film required an intensive shoot, taking place over three weekends in Connecticut. A large challenge associated with this project was the use of puppetry and practical visual effects. The design of ‘Beadie’ was a multi-stage process: from the initial design, to fabrication, to detailing. Four versions of the puppet were built to achieve the different movements needed for the production. I was awarded the Marks Family Endowment in Fine Arts to create this film.

   Призы и награды, участие в фестивалях

UConn Short Film Exhibition - Official Selection / April 28, 2018
Out On Film, Atlanta LGBT Film Festival - Official Selection / September 27, 2018
Sacramento Horror Film Festival, California - Official Selection / September 29, 2018
CKF International Film Festival, England- Official Selection / September 30, 2018
Shriekfest Horror Film Festival, Los Angeles - Official Selection / October 7, 2018
Upstate NY Horror Film Festival - Official Selection / October 12, 2018
Atlanta Horror Film Festival - Official Selection / October 25, 2018
Scare-A-Con Film Festival, New York - Official Selection / October 28, 2018
Colorado International SciFi & Fantasy Film Festival - Official Selection / November 17, 2018
Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest, London - Official Selection / November 18, 2018
13HORROR Film & Screenplay Contest, Los Angeles - BEST DIRECTOR / December 1, 2018
Other Worlds Austin, Texas - Official Selection / December 6, 2018
Los Angeles CineFest Los Angeles - Semi-Finalist / January 20, 2019
UConn Puppet Slam, Connecticut - BEST HORROR PUPPET FILM / February 22, 2019
HorrorHound Film Fest, Cincinnati - Official Selection / March 15, 2019
Leeds Queer Film Festival, England - Official Selection / March 21, 2019
Boston Underground Film Festival - BEST NEW ENGLAND FILM / March 22, 2019
New Haven International Film Festival, Connecticut - Official Selection / May 1, 2019
Weird Film Fest, San Francisco - Official Selection / May 20, 2019
Reel Puppetry Film Festival, Minneapolis - Official Selection / July 16, 2019
Genre Blast, Winchester, Virginia - Official Selection / August, 2019
Chicago Horror Film Festival - Official Selection / September 28, 2019

   Альтернативные постеры

Tyler Williamson

Скриншоты