Marriage

Thoughtful and provocative drama about Europe's current sociopolitical crisis told through the allegory of a crumbling and twisted marriage.

Europe, the wife, is trapped in a boom and bust relationship with her young and immature husband Rich, and feels lost and disconnected from reality. Unable to deal with his sexual demands and the tragedy that has occurred because of his misconduct, Europe embarks on a journey within her mind to find herself. On her way she’ll meet the people that have haunted and affected her marriage: Rich’s decadent mother, his corrupted friends, his innocent victims and most importantly his domineering lover Adam - a man who seems to dictate the fate of many, including hers.

The film is a visual diary of a woman's thought-process towards divorce. It's dense and meaningful, with surrealistic overtones that reflect her subconscious.

  • Katerina Philppou-Curtis
    Director
    The Boys
  • Katerina Philppou-Curtis
    Writer
    The Boys
  • Paul Curtis (Producer, VFX Supervisor, Cinematography)
    Producer
    Lost in Space, Dragoncharm, Prince Valiant
  • Miranda Magee
    Key Cast
  • Chris Slater
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 40 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2017
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Sony, RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Katerina Philppou-Curtis

Katerina has worked in film, theatre and tv as a writer, director and editor both in Europe and the US. Her work has been shown and performed in New York, LA, Athens, London and Copenhagen. She has directed and edited commercials, documentaries and music videos. Her original screenplays have been produced in both sides of the Atlantic. She was artistic director of the Players Theatre in Athens.
She was the recipient of the Arts and Humanities Research Board Award for her critically-acclaimed London playfilm Cockroach Waltz, a combination of ‘stage and screen’ where the same story is told by the two opposing viewpoints.
More recently she’s written and created the TV series Mothers Mafia. She has a BA in Journalism and Psychology and an MA in Drama. She won a scholarship from the Greek Film Centre and the Ministry of Culture to the European Film College in Denmark and a bursary from New York Film Academy where she completed numerous award-winning shorts. Her first feature The Boys, funded by the GFC and Amy International, UK, premiered at TIFF 44 at the New Horizons. Katerina is the co-founder of Inventome and a member of Directors UK. She is the recipient of 16 International awards.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

ALLEGORY : I’ve always been fascinated with allegorical story telling. Bergman’s Seventh Seal where Antonius Block plays chess with Death was mind blowing. Or Nic Roeg’s Don’t look now’ tour de force where the fantastical blends with the reality and enhances suspense and meaning. To me that is what cinema is all about. Creating individual art to provoke, puzzle and reward. Play with various threads, show both sides of the coin. Using the allegory as a subtext and exploring, pushing and reflecting the madness that surrounds us. Marriage stretches the parameters of narrative and creates a film that provokes discussion.

FREEDOM: I have given the audience the freedom to identity the core of Marriage, what it means to them. The ball is in their court, as it's often illustrated in the film. In sculpting the story, I’ve tried to find a way to explore the language that I felt would suit the visual representation of a woman’s thinking process. How do you show a woman’s mind? The word game is not literal. You don’t have to play anything. You can choose to read the sign posts or not and even if you don’t, you can still follow the story clearly. But if you want to find the concealed political story within the woman’s, you are more than welcome. It definitely makes the experience more gratifying.

PLAYING WITH COLOUR & B&W
There are two threads of the film: the ‘physical’ thread and the ‘mind’ thread, each with its own environment, telling the same story. The first - shot in Black and White is where she is trapped and the latter - in colour, is where she wants to be. When the two threads eventually meet and interchange, the new reality leads Europe to a powerful climax.

TIMELY &TIMELESS
Europe escapes the confines of greed in order to be free and make her decision. Her physical self may still be in their luxurious, ever-changing apartment where reality is illustrated by what is happening outside, but her mind guides her to the scariest and safest place and that is where she gains her strength. Europe is at a sticky point right now, the next few years will determine a lot, so the parallels make the concept urgent and timely but also timeless. As timeless as relationships are.
They say that if a marriage will end it is often ended by women. That statement, whether true or not, is pretty telling. I felt I had to explore that process. What drives them to that decision, what is the road they take? And more importantly, what and who is on that road?

PERSONAL
It is a personal story. It’s not only mine but everyone’s personal story. It’s affecting everyone one way or another. I didn’t want to be judgemental or political, I just wanted to highlight the soul print of our times but through personifying the political issues that are shaping us and placing them within the context of love, rage, guilt, forgiveness and hope.