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A Long Way From Home

"A Long Way From Home" is a short film centred on two brothers, who are divided by the past.

The story follows a young man Oliver Dawson, who has ran away from his past life after finding out a family secret.

His older brother Hunter must now help bring Oliver back to civilisation before it's too late.

  • Jannik Ohlendieck
    Director
    The Crooked Path, Into The Darkness, Down The Barrel
  • Jannik Ohlendieck
    Writer
    The Crooked Path, Into The Darkness, Down The Barrel
  • Jannik Ohlendieck
    Producer
    The Crooked Path, Into The Darkness, Down The Barrel
  • Derek Keane
    Producer
    The Crooked Path
  • Mark Agar
    Key Cast
    "Oliver Dawson"
    Shudder Street, Waking, Never Forget
  • Mark Lawrence
    Key Cast
    "Hunter Dawson"
    Kubrick By Candlelight, Pernicio, The Crooked Path, Writing Home, Dub Daze
  • Kyle Ohlendieck
    Director of Photography
    The Crooked Path, Into The Darkness, Down The Barrel
  • Jannik Ohlendieck
    Editor
    Down The Barrel
  • Kyle Ohlendieck
    Composer
    The Crooked Path, Into The Darkness, Down The Barrel
  • Orla Wittke
    Production Designer
  • Megan Tate
    Hair & Make Up
    In Between
  • Susannah Hunt
    First Assistant Director
    Breakup Box, Wreck
  • Aoife Quinn
    First Assistant Camera
    The Invisible Boy
  • Cian Ohlendieck
    Second Assistant Camera
  • Dylan Burgess Grant
    Sound Mixer & Boom Operator
    Dublin Old School, Writing Home, The Crooked Path
  • Shane Kelly Lester
    Sound Design & Sound Editing
  • Derek Keane
    Script Consultant
  • Katya Chapiro
    Stills Photographer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 31, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    Ireland
  • Country of Filming:
    Ireland
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jannik Ohlendieck

Jannik Ohlendieck has worked on numerous short films such as "QED", "Flashback", "The Crooked Path" and "Down The Barrel" as well as the feature film "Writing Home".

He was one of the producers on "QED", which was screened at the 2017 Galway Film Fleadh. The film gained international acclaim and was very successful in the festival circuit.

As part of the Filmbase Masters he has produced the feature film "Writing Home", which was also screened at the 2017 Galway Film Fleadh. The film was nominated for three awards: Best First Feature, Best Irish Feature and the Audience Award.

His most noteworthy project is the short film "The Crooked Path", which he wrote, directed and produced.

"The Crooked Path" was nominated for three awards - Best Script, Best Director & Best Actor at the Dublin University Film Festival. Furthermore it was nominated for Best Student Film at the 9th Underground Cinema Awards.

In 2019, he acted, wrote, directed, produced and edited the short film "Down The Barrel", which was screened at the Dublin University Film Festival. The film also won Best Cinematography at the festival.

This year he has completed the short films "A Long Way From Home", "Aftermath" & "El Origen" along with shooting a recording session for Dublin based musician Shane Kelly Lester. These films are currently being finalised for the festival circuit.

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Director Statement

On the surface, the story of “A Long Way From Home” is concerned with the downfall of the younger brother Oliver. Oliver feels betrayed by his family and goes to live as a recluse in response to that betrayal. The conflict arises as Hunter tries to draw his brother out from his perpetuating depression. Hunter tries to use Oliver’s music career as a starting off point to make amends for his past mistakes. This leads to conflicts arising in relation to Oliver’s current situation and in turn the lack of purpose he feels. Essentially the conflict of the story on this level is about two opposing value systems going head to head.

The main themes in the film however go deeper than this. One of the main themes of the film is identity. Identity shapes the entire conflict and is at the core of the character’s decisions. Hunter has a clear identity and knows his place in life, whereas Oliver has recently found out that his identity has been a lie for as long as he can remember. This identity crisis forms Oliver’s perspective provokes a strong reaction. This negative reaction has clearly overwhelmed him to the extent that he runs away from the confines of society. Hunter’s clear sense of identity and Oliver’s loss of identity are the underlying forces behind the main crux of the film.

The story of “A Long Way From Home” visualises the frailty of the human condition as well as conversely the perseverance of the human spirit. Oliver’s life has come crashing down on him and he rightfully needs to find a place to think in peace. This frailty is visible in all of us despite some people being able to hide it better than others. There are certain values in life that we take for granted and if they are revealed to us as being disingenuous, our perspective on reality becomes distorted.

However the perseverance of both Hunter and Oliver drives them back on the right track. Hunter convinces his brother that he is family to him. No matter where he may have come from, this is a fact in Hunter’s eyes. Oliver realises this and it deflates his anger towards his brother’s apparent betrayal. Hunter was trying to protect Oliver and this becomes clear. Oliver nonetheless needs time to heal his wounds and gradually becomes stronger as time allows him to.

The main themes in the film however go deeper than this. One of the main themes of the film is identity. Identity shapes the entire conflict and is at the core of the character’s decisions. Hunter has a clear identity and knows his place in life, whereas Oliver has recently found out that his identity has been a lie for as long as he can remember. This identity crisis forms Oliver’s perspective, provoking a strong reaction. This negative reaction has clearly overwhelmed him to the extent that he runs away from the confines of society. Hunter’s clear sense of identity and Oliver’s loss of identity are the underlying forces behind the main crux of the film.

The story of “A Long Way From Home” visualises the frailty of the human condition to the audience as well as conversely the perseverance of the human spirit. Oliver’s life has come crashing down on him and he rightfully needs to find a place to think in peace. This frailty is visible in all of us despite some people being able to hide it better than others. There are certain values in life that we take for granted and if they are revealed to us as being disingenuous, our perspective on reality becomes distorted. However the perseverance of both Hunter and Oliver drives them back on the right track. Hunter convinces his brother that he is family to him. No matter where he may have come from, this is fact in Hunter’s eyes. Oliver realises this and it deflates his anger towards his brother’s apparent betrayal. Hunter was trying to protect Oliver and this becomes clear. Oliver nonetheless needs time to heal his wounds and gradually becomes stronger in time.