“WE SHOULD NOT PRETEND TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD ONLY BY THE INTELLECT. THE JUDGEMENT OF THE INTELLECT IS ONLY PART OF THE TRUTH” - CARL JUNG

Lexi is a young, idealistic protester who has chained herself to an ancient oak tree, in the middle of a forest, which has been marked with an ‘X’. She is quickly joined by Jack, a jovial chain-saw wielding man, who seems amused by Lexi’s self-described mission not only to save the ancient tree but even to save Jack from himself – he has known these forests all his life and is seemingly unimpressed by the intervention of a city-dwelling outsider.

Their encounter becomes progressively tense as the friends Lexi claimed would return to untie her fail to appear. Jack tells Lexi all about the Dryads, cunning and seductive tree-nymphs who protect the forest. He tells Lexi he thinks she must be one of them and is not permitted to interfere with her mission to save the tree. Lexi is unsure whether he is out of his mind, playing games or whether this is his elaborate trap. She is left terrified and alone with the promise he will come back tomorrow.

JACK - LEANDER DEENY

Leander is a LAMDA trained actor, and published author. He won Best Actor (2001) and Best Supporting Actor (2002), at the OUDS New Writing Festival, and won the LAMDA poetry competition in 2003. He has worked extensively in theatre, most recently in the solo show TIMMY FAILURE: MISTAKES WERE MADE at the Edinburgh Festival. His work on screen includes CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, ATONEMENT, SKINS and a recurring role in HOLBY CITY.

Leander has just finished in THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN and THE ROVER, at the RSC.

NEXT » LEXI – KATHY ROSE O’BRIEN

 

LEXI - KATHY ROSE O'BRIEN

Kathy Rose is a graduate of RADA and also of The Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin. Her first professional job was as Lulu in Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party at Bristol Old Vic followed by the lead role in The Royal Court’s production of Leaves by Lucy Caldwell directed by Tony award-winning Druid Theatre director Garry Hynes. Kathy Rose was subsequently nominated for an Irish Theatre Award for this performance.

She performs regularly at THE ABBEY THEATRE and THE GATE and has acted at THE SPOLETO FESTIVAL in Charleston and in a number of musicals. In television, Kathy Rose has featured in series on ITV, BBC and RTE. Her recent film The LEGEND OF LONGWOOD is currently showing internationally at film festivals. In 2013 Kathy Rose was a speaker at The World Actors Forum in Dublin.

PREVIOUS » JACK – LEANDER DEENY

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

I had just finished reading Umberto Eco’s ‘Inventing the Enemy’, an essay about the ways in which identity is defined and upheld through the invention of enemies, when I came across Eleanor Herzog’s script ‘Quercus’. The story explores the slippery slope between idealism and fanaticism in the context of of environmental advocacy. Under the influence of Eco’s words I wondered whether belief in any cause, unaccompanied by a mature awareness of one’s private vanities, inevitably leads to zealotry.

In Herzog’s story Lexi, the chained-to-a-tree female protestor, has read up on the subject of deforestation but seemingly has no direct relationship with the ancient world she seeks to protect. She regards tree surgeon Jack to be her enemy and a parasite in the world he is in fact a native of. Her judgement of Jack confronts the overlap between identity, class and economics in environmental politics; her idealism motivates her to protect the earth but her fanaticism blinds her to the humanity, lives and dilemmas of those she opposes.

CREDITS & SPECIFICATIONS

 
Executive Producer Lee Magiday
Producers Paloma Fraile

Marc Teitler

Director Marina Waltz
Writer Eleanor Herzog
Composer Marc Teitler
Director of Photography Phil Moreton
Art Director Jason Southgate
Editor Kezia Martin
Grader Jonny Tully
Crowdfunding Manager Crina Ene
VFX & Credits Haluk Tarcan
Hair & Make Up Artist Rebecca Hall
Costumer Designer Giulia Scrimieri
Location Sound & Sound Design Matt Price
1st AD Rick O’Connor
Production Manager Paloma Fraile
Location Manager Jacqueline Kennedy
UAV Pilot Callum Bannister
Remote Aerial Camera Operator Adam Georgiou
Sound Mix Andy Coles
SFX Technician Tim Warren
1st AC Murat Akyildiz
2nd AC Max MacGechan
Gaffer Ian Stowe
Grip Aubery Pascoe
Spark Fevzi Ozalcin

James W. Leech

Still Photographer Paloma Fraile
Runners

James Bonner

Ash Brooks Warner-James

Andrea Serrano

 

A special thanks to the following people for generously supporting our crowdfunding campaign: Sherett Dahlstrom, Lee Magiday, Michael Marcantonio, Anthony Teitler, Dina Teitler, Simone Teitler,

We would like to thank Lee Magiday and Alexandra Blue for their invaluable support and advice throughout the process

© Honeyfly Films

Running time – 09:30
Genre – Psychological Thriller
Completion Date – September 2nd, 2017
Country of Production – United Kingdom
Shooting Format – RED
Aspect Ratio – 16:9
Film Colour – Colour