Don't Bury It
Dumped by his girlfriend and fired from his job as a gravedigger,
Doug's mental health spirals downwards, and he begins burying
his problems, quite literally, in his garden; unpaid bills, the washing-up, everything goes in, until what started as simple avoidance escalates into a murder spree. DON'T BURY IT is the new short from auteur director Kristian Fitsall and stars Olivier Award winner Will Close in the lead role, supported by a memorable smiley stress ball!
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Kristian FitsallDirectorTeething Problems, Wallace Gets The News
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Kristian FitsallWriterTeething Problems, Wallace Gets The News
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David FreedmanProducerTeething Problems, Achilles
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Will CloseKey Cast"DOUG"Titan, Falling
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Manpreet BambraKey Cast"DARMA"Count Abdulla, Funny Woman
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Tom CrayKey Cast"MATT"Still Up, Wild Bones
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Bobby GouldingCinematographerThe Number 30, Alex
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Dave MalkinComposerThe Nun Slayer, The Corpse Road
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Dustin Curtis MurphyEditorEverything is Out to Get Me, Coyote
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Thea MillerProduction DesignerThe Afermath
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:9 minutes 56 seconds
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Completion Date:January 19, 2025
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Production Budget:20,000 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
I am a London-based writer and director, originally from Southend-on-Sea. Having struggled with dyslexia throughout school, only being diagnosed in the latter half of my education, I found a love of narrative through films, and in turn, gained more confidence in my understanding of literature and the beauty of a well-written sentence. I am interested in the intersection between drama and comedy. Since graduating from Bath Spa University with a First Class BA Hons in Film, Television and Digital Production I have made increasingly ambitious pieces of cinema in a dark comedy vein, including 'Wallace Gets The News' which screened at Lift-Off, and the award winning 'Teething Problems', which was selected to premiere at Straight8's 2021 Best 25 Super 8 shorts of the year screening. Both films screened at numerous other festivals internationally.
I am also proud to have begun working in the feature space, having had my screenplay 'Leafy Pickings' optioned by MV Productions. I also work heavily within music videos, allowing me to work with a diverse group of artists and lean further into visual experimentation, including a comic horror themed-video for 'Southend Vic' by The Miller Test. 'Don't Bury It' is my second collaboration with producer David Freedman after our very successful short 'Teething Problems'. It is also my first collaboration with the very talented Will Close, and my most ambitious and accomplished film to date.
This film takes a curveball look at mental health, and the hurt it can cause to ourselves, as well as those around us, if we avoid help and choose to bury our problems rather than seek change. ‘Don’t Bury It’ is a story of depression, alienation, murder and of a mediocre man who becomes obsessed with burying his problems, literally, in his back garden. Doug has opportunities to escape this pattern, which he ignores, getting filthier and deeper in trouble, until ultimately burying himself, encased in dirt by the final shot. You can try to avoid facing negative feelings, but consequences are always waiting. If you burn bridges, the blaze may be mesmerising, but you shouldn't be surprised when you get burnt. The film is partly inspired by my own struggles with mental health and my tendency to seclude myself when going through it. It’s also inspired by the experiences of my parents, who both worked as mental health nurses in the NHS and their stories of laughter and loss: From quirky stories of patients who believed they were judo masters (100% true story) to the darker moments of watching them come home, explain they had lost a patient to suicide, begin to process this loss and immediately begin doing paperwork. The dichotomy of the burden they carried stayed with me and is vital to this film: it’s okay to laugh at the darker things when you can, because humour is cathartic, and some days you won’t be able to laugh.
The horror aesthetic and fantasy flourishes, with tongue-in-cheek humour, allow me to broach darker subjects. I aim to make my audience laugh, even if it comes from a place of discomfort. Similarly to my previous film ‘Teething Problems’, I’m interested in creating a satirical, even absurd, larger-than-life world that takes us so far from reality that we’re forced to look back into it with a new perspective. I’m inspired by 70s and 80s B-movies, that provided me with comfort during my darker days but often had a less-than-ideal understanding of mental health. So many of these films portrayed their killers to have ‘gone crazy’ after a difficult experience and provided no further empathy or analysis. This subject matter felt like the perfect backdrop to add more texture to, allowing us to spend more time understanding our ‘villain,’ without sugar-coating the pain they cause other people. I’m particularly fond of the work of John Waters and his ability to approach darker, taboo subjects with humour and surrealism. In a similar vein the work of the late great David Lynch is also a big inspiration. I’m also inspired by modern filmmakers like Alice Rohrwacher, who’s film ‘Happy as Lazzaro’ keeps audiences constantly guessing exactly when and where our story takes place, setting up a timeless tale. I’m also fond of modern subversive auteurs such as Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, who celebrate outcasts with absurdity, and blend surrealism with debauchery in a way that places their work at both ends of the scale between high-art and juvenile immaturity.
Cast in the lead role of Doug is the immensely talented Will Close who enjoyed sold-out runs of his show ‘Great British Mysteries’ at the Edinburgh Fringe and will soon be seen in the forthcoming ‘Titan.’ Finding our lead actor, Will Close, felt like stumbling on gold. We knew he was our Doug from the second he walked into the audition, and his natural comedic abilities found jokes in the script that I didn’t realise I’d written. He found the perfect balance of sincere, slapstick and sinister. Will has since gone on to play Harry Kane in the very successful West End production of ‘Dear England’ for which he recently won an Olivier Award. Clearly, we weren’t the only ones to see his talent! Playing Doug's girlfriend Darma is the wonderful Manpreet Bambra, one of the stars of ITVX's very funny 'Count Abdulla'.
I was lucky enough to work with a wonderful cast and crew on this film. Huge thanks to my brilliant producer David Freedman, who worked on this with me closely and tirelessly from its inception, managing the project and bringing everyone and everything together seamlessly. Bringing his own anarchic energy and expert eye to the mix is cinematographer Bobby Goulding, who has shot for brands including Levis and Samsung, and created some beautiful work realising our ambitious shotlist, whilst giving the film it’s 70s and 80s celluloidesque aesthetic. I worked closely with our brilliant production designer Thea Miller, who designed Doug’s neglected house and garden, and along with her team, dug the hole that his victims ended up in. She also designed our costumes. I’m incredibly proud of our art team on this film, and you get such a feel for who Doug is and where he’s at in life before he says a word. Our art, costume and makeup team also worked a miracle in keeping track of Doug’s level of dirt and decay throughout our busy shooting schedule. Other notable mentions who injected additional creativity and energy into the film include editor Dustin Curtis Murphy, who’s considerable talents are in evidence in the edit, and the incredible Dave Malkin, who has composed a fantastic score, equal parts forlorn and full-on 80s horror synthwave.
‘Don’t Bury It’ is neither a straightforward drama, comedy, horror or fantasy film, but has elements of all these labels. It aspires to be a cinematic experience that purposely tackles a difficult subject in an unconventional way. I hope it does so with enough silliness and self-awareness to keep viewers smiling and thinking. I hope audiences will find the film both funny and poignant, laughing out loud and taking away it’s serious mental health subtext, not to bury your problems.