PEOPLE YOU MAY KNOW: An Intelligent And Riveting Short (& Interview with director Louisa Fielden)

You know that perfunctory, slightly invasive, but most definitely annoying aspect of Facebook, the “people you may know” section? We’ve all seen it lingering, trying to get us to expand on our friends list. Sometimes you find someone you had forgotten about, someone from your past, but what if the profile was connected to an unforgettable trauma?

In Louisa Fielden’s short, People You May Know, she dives into this angle with Emily (Aiysha Hart) reconnecting with James (Joseph Timms), an ex-boyfriend who had taken advantage of her, with unflinching urgency.

It’s a coiled, undeniably charged seventeen minutes of raw emotion. People takes the plunge right away, as we’re invited to their meet, but it also revolves back to Emily’s discovery and reaction when shown his profile. There’s an aerial view and an instant ominous score that gives us the inclination that this relationship revisit isn’t going to be pleasant.

Focused And Enthralling

Fielden has a sound eye for how to visually mark a short film. There’s little room for guessing in the opening few moments, which pounces before you have a chance of getting away. As a writer too, she’s also competent in getting to the meat of a story and capitalizing on the dialogue needed to provoke.

As important as conversations like this are right now, with the current #Metoo movement, and woman finding their voice, this film is especially potent. In the course of their conversation we not only get Emily’s searing memory of the event, but also the accuser’s, with his myriad of excuses. This taut interaction is further exemplified by strong performances from the two leads.

It is also gut-wrenching as Emily forces James to admit what he did and take responsibility for his actions. He’s not a straight-out villain, and Timms carefully provides us with some much needed depth as he wrestles with this truth. Emily, meanwhile, doesn’t refrain from unearthing what this horror has done to her life. While James aims to deflect, she assaults with nothing held back.

The film is mostly spent inside a cafe, but the story transcends the walls because of the immense pressure built by the emotional conflict at its core. People You May Know is also a strong reminder that time and the resistance to responsibility doesn’t erase the damage. This confrontation is given with such an impassioned mix of a smart script and excellent leads, that Fielden, with her sixth short, delivers this like a pro.

This is a film that is guaranteed to leave an impression, and rightfully so.

This is Kristy Strouse with Film Inquiry. I really loved your film.

The subject matter of the film is incredibly pertinent right now. People finally seem to be listening, and it’s making more women open up about their experiences. Did that go into your decision to make this film at all?

Louisa Fielden: We actually shot this film a long time before the #MeToo movement arose. Its release just happens to coincide with this huge social movement that has upended the news cycle, which we’re proud to be a part of.

Can you tell us a bit about the origin of the story for you? The inspiration?

Louisa Fielden: I was determined to craft a script that could be balanced on two high-impact performances. I ended up researching and reading around the subject matter for a long time. As you can probably tell, I’m trying not to give too much of the plot away! It really is a film that benefits from being seen without much preamble as it contains several twists and revelations.

Was there a specific decision to make the connection through Facebook since everything seems tied into social media?

Louisa Fielden: During the writing process I tried to come up with the most interesting way, in our digital world, that two people could reconnect after a long time apart. The ‘People You May Know’ feature on Facebook solved that problem.

I think the film is so powerful, not only because of its context, but also the two performances. I know you previously worked with these two on the show Atlantis, did you have them in mind already when casting?

Louisa Fielden: I did. I had directed Joe (Joseph Timms) and Aiysha before on Atlantis, which was a fantasy drama series for the BBC, so this was a reunion of sorts. I felt very lucky that they agreed to be part of the project, and they were the perfect duo. Joe is a joy to work with; very naturalistic and he has an economy of gesture that suited this role perfectly. And Aiysha has such an intense, passionate and detailed presence on screen. She has so much natural talent, and is incredible in this film. We had a day of rehearsals, then shot 26 pages in two days! I pushed both actors very far out of their comfort zones, and it wasn’t easy, but we’re all delighted with the finished film and feel very proud of what we’ve created.

What do you hope people will take away from this film?

Louisa Fielden: I’m really not prescriptive in that regard. Having said that, the film does have a very clear political agenda, so I would hope the audience would consider how their behaviour is personally shaped and patterned by patriarchal norms. Some people adore the film, others don’t, but what’s gratifying is that everyone has a very extreme reaction to it, and as a filmmaker that’s exciting.

What’s next for you?

Louisa Fielden: For me it’s always about sourcing the best scripts, working with the best actors, and pushing boundaries. I’ve got a few exciting projects on the horizon.

We would like to thank Louisa Fielden for taking the time to speak with us.

For more information you can check out Louisa Fielden’s site here.