Words: Emmett Barlow
Twitter: @EmmettBarlow

CONSTANT REMAINDER

Pre-production on mind bending memory thriller Remainder has commenced. Co-funded by the BFI and London-based Soda Film + Art, the six-week shoot will soon begin filming in London and Berlin – with promising Brit actor Tom Sturridge (The Boat that Rocked) taking the lead role.

The venture teams British and German production companies Tigerlily Films, Amusement Park Films, and ZDF/arte, to bring the distinct visual flair of Israeli born contemporary artist Omer Fast to cinema screens.

Fest is known for his intelligent and didactic approach to controversial subject matter, such as drone warfare in 5000 Feet is the Best, and subverting the media authenticity of international news network CNN in Concatenated. He also has permanent collections in the Tate Modern and LACMA, and his most recent work, a four-part hybrid documentary/fiction piece, Everything that Rises Must Converge, was seen as part of the Forum Expanded programme of the 2014 Berlinale film festival.

As well as taking the director’s chair for his first full length feature, Fast has adapted the script from Tom McCarthy’s critically acclaimed cult novel of the same name. The plot will derive much from McCarthy’s cleverly idiosyncratic puzzle and absurd satire, following Sturridge’s enigmatic ‘narrator’ recovering from a horrific and mysterious accident that leaves him with a fragmented image of a previous life. His desire to reconnect turns into obsession, taking him to the extremes to uncover what happened to him. His quest becomes increasingly fraught, as not only can he not remember, but under the terms of a huge financial reward he is not permitted to disclose or uncover any details of his accident. Think Memento meets Oldboy with a little bit of The Bourne Saga thrown in for good measure.