Flames From the Heart

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT - Robert Sarkies

"I got to the movies to enjoy the movie. Others go to chat or eat or sleep or make out. Am I weird?"

"We all love going to the movies. There's a romance to it (yes even when you go alone). But it can also be frustrating. Sometimes there seem to be distractions put in your way specifically to prevent you from enjoying the film. And once you become distracted by one thing, you tend to notice another and suddenly watching the film becomes impossible because everybody around you seems to have come to do anything but actually watch the film. It is this contrast between romance and frustration that I wanted to explore (and indeed, take to its extreme) in Flames From The Heart.

"I won't say this has all happened to me at once, but it's certainly all happened. The funny thing is these experiences seem to be fairly universal. My theory is that the people who create these distractions move from theatre to theatre for maximum exposure. They're probably cloned. there should be laws against it.

"Meek mannered people tend not to make a fuss when someone annoys them. But in their minds that annoyance can magnify to the point where it's impossible to focus on anything else. Outside you eem calm, but inside you feel like you're about to explode. And what can you do? Nothing - because doing anything makes you into yet another distraction for everybody else. Aaarrrgggg!

"Is this a serious film? Deadly serious if you are a serious movie-goer. Whisperers, slurpers and ice-cream crunchers take note!"