A jaunty little crime spree might not be the most conventional mother-son activity but it does make for a glorious opening to writer/director Tom Stuart’s directorial debut short Good Boy. It’s a touching examination of life, love and loss, filmed around the glorious Somerset farms of Glastonbury and featuring a vintage VW van meandering through country lanes that plays host to an array of colourful characters. Stuart has given the film a vintage lens which speaks fittingly to the surreal emotional exploration of Danny, played by Ben Whishaw, as he goes about his bizarre day kept company by his doting if somewhat overbearing mother, played by Marion Bailey. Good Boy proffers a magically tinged reflection on grief which feels both true and comforting for those of us who can relate to the stabbing reality of loss. As the BAFTA and Oscar qualified short continues to delight on its festival circuit journey, we were able to speak to Stuart about the cathartic process of making the film, gradually unfolding the plot to audiences and the difficulties they faced shooting in an original vintage VW van.
The grief is raw and so heart-felt in Good Boy, are there personal reflections within the story for you?
The film is a love letter to my Mum who sadly died at the beginning of the pandemic. We were very close and her death was a shock that I’m still recovering from. This film is, in a way, me trying to figure out how to cope with the loss. My understanding of grief came from watching films and TV shows growing up, but when I experienced it for myself I realised it was far more complex and nuanced than I could ever have comprehended. Grief is a trickster that has many guises and many ways of tripping you up when you least expect it: I hadn’t seen this aspect of grief explored in film before.
I’ve been an actor for 20 years, so I relished the opportunity to be on the other side of the camera. Whilst this is my directorial debut, it felt more like a side-step into a new role of a world that I understood, rather than entering a completely alien landscape. That said, I was blessed with an incredible cast and crew who helped me understand all the things I didn’t know.
Grief is a trickster that has many guises and many ways of tripping you up when you least expect it: I hadn’t seen this aspect of grief explored in film before.
Your background is both varied and admirable in your success, how did everything you have worked on before influence and guide you to write and direct this your first short?
I think being an actor helped enormously; when you’ve had the experience of being inside stories, performing them, you get an inherent understanding of structure and tone which is all really helpful for writing. You spend a lot of time as an actor trying to imitate honesty – what sounds and feels real to an audience, what doesn’t – so when directing, I felt finely tuned to what felt authentic. I’ve also been lucky enough to work with some extraordinary directors, so I was able to pick and choose different things from each of them.
How involved was Ben Whishaw in the story and was it written with him in mind?
Ben was actually the first person to encourage me to direct, so he was definitely there from the beginning. The story is a very personal one so I was writing more to express myself rather than thinking specifically of Ben, but when it was finished I knew there wasn’t anyone who could play it better.
When you’ve had the experience of being inside stories, performing them, you get an inherent understanding of structure and tone which is all really helpful for writing.
Having Ben in mind to play Danny how did you go about casting the mother character Jackie and what chemistry were you looking for between them?
Ben and I sat down to discuss who we’d like to play Jackie, and Marion Bailey was at the top of both our lists. I’ve been a fan of Marion’s for years and knew she’d have the warmth, pathos and comedic timing to be brilliant. I sent her the script and thank God she said yes. Ben and Marion definitely look like they could be related, but I was thrilled to see how well they bounced off each other. They are both incredibly smart, kind and playful. I think they felt safe with each other and with me, which really helped.
That final heartbreaking scene is so beautiful in its depiction of Danny’s pain. As Good Boy is so close to you and your exploration of grief, how did you find filming this with Ben?
I was blown away by Ben’s ability, I don’t think I’ve ever been that close to such extraordinary acting. I tried really hard to emotionally prepare myself for shooting that scene, knowing that it would be triggering for me, but quite by accident Ben went straight into it while we were shooting the end of the previous scene – so once again my grief ambushed me when I least expected it: which ironically, is exactly what the film is about!
Whilst you never blatantly tell us what is happening the audience is very aware. How did you tread that delicate balance in the writing and the little nuggets of information you give viewers?
I wanted the heart of the film to unfold gradually, so I wrote in several moments to try and wrong-foot the audience so that they begin to sense that something’s up, but they don’t necessarily know what or how it’s going to play out. It was a tricky balance to achieve both in writing and editing the film: one false move in either direction could give the game away or leave an audience confused. So there was a lot of trial and error to get it right.
We removed the front passenger seat to accommodate the camera, an Alex mini, and me with my legs practically wrapped around my head.
Those scenes in the old VW van are so integral to the story, can you tell us how you filmed them, especially at the end with everyone crammed in?
The van was such a joyous thing to have, we all completely fell in love with it. But it’s technically very hard to shoot in a van unless you have loads of money for low-loaders. etc – which we didn’t have. I watched a lot of Iranian films like the wonderful Hit the Road, where the filmmakers have found incredibly inventive ways to shoot whilst driving with little money. I had a very game cast who were happy to squash up next to each other to achieve that shot. We removed the front passenger seat to accommodate the camera, an Alex mini, and me with my legs practically wrapped around my head. Luckily we were filming on private roads and we had a stunt coordinator to make sure we were all safe.
The film’s vintage, timeless feel soars with the nostalgia and memory which serves the story so well. How did you and cinematographer Adam Singodia devise that visual tone?
We were blessed with having such an incredibly characterful van which did a lot of the work for us. I wanted the film to feel and look idiosyncratic without being self-consciously quirky and that’s a tricky line to walk I think. We knew the interior of the van needed to feel warm, safe, and inviting so we worked hard to make sure we got the right shade of yellow for the curtains, etc, and costume played a big part here too.
What did working with Selina Macarthur bring to the edit?
Selina is a fiercely intelligent, warm and honest human being so she brought another layer of authenticity and fun to the film. She’s a huge fan of Ben’s work and loved editing him on This is Going to Hurt. I think we all had a shared taste which really helped.
I wanted the film to feel and look idiosyncratic without being self-consciously quirky and that’s a tricky line to walk.
Can you talk to us about the sound design and music which increases in intensity and tension yet are also lulling and comforting?
I worked with a brilliant composer called Joe Wilson who actually composed a lot of the music in pre-production which meant that I was able to get into the mood of the film before shooting. One of my favourite parts of the process was working with the sound designers in post, it was amazing to see how much texture you can add to a scene by introducing a squeak of a leather seat, or a couple of extra nervous breaths, etc.
Good Boy premiered at Glastonbury, how was screening there as an alternative to traditional cinemas?
We were incredibly lucky to shoot the film on Worthy Farm – the home of Glastonbury Festival – and we were invited to screen an early cut of the film in the Pilton Palais cinema tent as part of the festival. It was such a privilege to screen this film there and watch it on the land on which it was shot – a real full-circle moment. The crowd were so receptive and warm and Tilda Swinton was there too so the whole thing was a bit mind-blowing.
There is plenty of room in the world you have created, are we going to see a feature of Good Boy?
Ah yes, I really hope so. I have two features with production companies at the moment – once they’re up and running I’ll be turning my attention back to Good Boy. I know the cast aren’t ready to let go of their characters yet and neither am I.
