Followers of the Chinese calendar will be aware that 2016 is the year of Felicity Jones (not strictly true, but you take the point). She has parlayed her Oscar nomination for The Theory Of Everything into lead roles in two of the biggest franchises in the known universe: she stars alongside Tom Hanks in an adaptation of Dan Brown's Dante–juggling Inferno, and heads a mission to steal the Death Star plans in a certain Star Wars Story name of Rogue One.
In the meantime, in the interest of keeping in with Felicity, we would like to draw your intention to a really good short film she has made entitled Emily. In striking contrast to the blockbusters to come, the London-set film is a highly personal drama (so no TIE fighters) about a brief encounter between lonely strangers offering the chance to act out their sexual fantasies. Christopher Eccleston plays opposite Jones.
Breaking the mould of the whole Bridget Jones/ Sex And The City cliché, Emily explores gender politics, the often dark foundations of lust, and a certain kind of Englishness from the female perspective (not Hugh Grant's).
"Emily came from a place of frustration,” explains writer-director Caroline Harvey, “largely about women’s roles in film and television. I wanted to write something with a female character at the centre of the narrative. For better or worse, Emily is the fulcrum of the action — the person in control — the seducer rather than the seducee.”
That Harvey is close friends with Jones certainly helped. Emily was written specifically for the actress. Jones agreed to produce the film too. “She’s an exceptionally intelligent and natural actor,” says Harvey, “who worked with me on every element of the production. We had so much fun making it — I’ll cherish Emily as a great first experience for me as a writer-director."
To add to the up-close feel of the drama, Emily features a unique soundtrack by James Bellamy and Paul Terry that actually incorporates elements of the performances into the score. “I won’t forget Felicity Jones and I recording ADR of breathing to be layered over the soundscape,” says Harvey, “then scoffing pizza while James and Paul pushed the film through all manner of incomprehensible technical wizardry." Beat that Lord Vader.
You can watch Felicity Jones in Emily here.