Experiencing Interruptions?

Jolly Roger

After returning from Barcelona with a film he thought was about a scarecrow that followed him around, Kyle then realised he and his girlfriend had actually acted out their relationship crumbling. Jolly Roger shows a battle with masculinity, depression and some strange methods of channeling misery into forms of expression, with both fictional scenes and genuine recordings of a separation.

  • Kyle O'Donnell
    Director
  • Kyle O'Donnell
    Writer
  • Xenya Genovese
    Writer
  • Grey Tooth Productions
    Producer
  • Kyle O'Donnell
    Key Cast
    "Kyle"
  • Xenya Genovese
    Key Cast
    "Xenya"
  • Kevin O'Donnell
    Key Cast
    "Dad"
  • Ben Warner
    Key Cast
    "Ben"
  • Miro Bersi
    Key Cast
    "Drummer"
  • Michael Riley
    Camera Operators
  • Ben Warner
    Camera Operators
  • Freak Slug
    Soundtrack Artists
  • Three Tequilas
    Soundtrack Artists
  • Weird OD
    Soundtrack Artists
  • Dwyer
    Soundtrack Artists
  • Zarya
    Soundtrack Artists
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 28 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 2, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Spain, United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Kyle O'Donnell

Studied Graphic Design, worked as a junior designer, left the city, started to travel, then chose to make films instead. Kyle’s work questions authority and the conventions of society, mostly through celebrating the imperfections of individuals and ridiculing the thought of a definitive answer to anything.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Sometimes you wonder what parts of your life could become stories. Sometimes you realise the story you have been making is accidentally about yourself.

I think parts of this film came from a complete lack of inspiration, and in a moment of desperation, subconsciously I was trying to make something out of what was becoming nothing. That being my past relationship with Xenya.

Thankfully, we now have a film to remind us of how it started to fall apart. That is partly sarcastic, as no film or book could truly tell the whole story or cover all the conflicting emotions. However I do feel as though there is something special between creatives when they can inspire each other to express their difficulties, even if the focus is what is going wrong between them.

Jolly Roger’s tender intimacy derives from its purpose of becoming a tool for the director to process his actions, and try to understand what emotions he had suppressed. It only started to become a break-up film about a real break up after I had to leave Barcelona, then start to understand why me and Xen had filmed what we had done.

The story also touches on the struggles men tend to face when sharing their emotions, so my character is not only a foolish narrator, but also a reserved one.