To A Cinder and Her
Another comic to movie?
Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of seeing To A Cinder.
Based on the graphic novel Her by Scottish creator David Taylor, it was an exciting experience. I’ve read many of David’s works - including Her, Wild Nature, Decades and The Grave. All these have been backed on Kickstarter, so when I saw that Her was being used as a source for a short film, I was intrigued.
So back in 2020, I backed it, my pledge being for two premier tickets and a digital version of the film.
Then the pandemic hit.
Now I was pretty lax about this being delayed1 - of course, something like this would take a serious hit due to lockdown and everything that it contains. So I put it on the back burner. Then, about six months ago, I noticed some photos and flyers popping up in my Instagram feed. To A Cinder was completed and was gearing up for some film festivals. Then, I received an email for a special viewing at Earls Court2.
Paul is sent on a simple mission, a stakeout. But alone in a small room with limited supplies, cut off from society and ever more paranoid, Paul is haunted by his actions of the past.
On the way, my wife asked me about the story. This was a tough one to answer - I didn’t want to give away the whole plot - of course, I had the graphic novel, but I also wondered how much it would match the material it was based on. Sometimes film-makers can take some creative liberties with the source material3, and I had no idea what to expect. So, I gave her the summary above and thought I would let her make her mind up.
On arrival, in the amazing neo-gothic church of St. Cuthberts, we were seated and then treated to a short film by the same writer/director - The Fox.
Then, onto the main event!
What followed was an excellent thriller. Writer and director Henry Scriven had taken the graphic novel and not only put his own twist on the filming but also expanded on some of the aspects of the story. These parts did not take away from the original graphic novel but added something more to the film. It left you wondering - who was the hero? Who was the villain? Was there a hero at all?
The film itself was not only well shot. It has some excellent use of camera angles, and the filming of the flashback scenes was very well played out. But also the cast was perfect for it. It was a small cast, and that made the story feel so intimate but well-rounded. You felt like you knew them well.
If you can, and I will update this with links when the movie is live, check out To A Cinder and Her as well - you won’t be disappointed!
Check out David Taylor’s body of work here with his store and even some free comics!
And I was in the end credits!
*Cough* Tales From The Quarantine *Cough*
Not far from me - although I did take a gamble on the parking spot!
For better or worse