Himesh Patel (YESTERDAY) plays a man affected by deep issues in Saul Abraham’s deeply affecting short film ENJOY.

Film And TV Now spoke with the film-maker about the short.

FILM AND TV NOW: There is an interesting dynamic between Michael and the boy in that they do share indirect reflection of their feelings in different ways. What was your start-off point for the script?

SAUL ABRAHAM: The script was based on writer Callum Cameron’s personal experiences as a home tutor. Both Michael and Archie are struggling to understand and communicate their feelings. Whereas Michael keeps it all in and becomes very uncommunicative, Archie acts out.

Both products of not being able to talk about how they feel. The film explores masculinity, men’s mental health, and how societal stereotypes surrounding depression in men manifest themselves across different generations.

FTVN: How did you get Himesh Patel on board?

SA: Himesh has been a friend of ours for a number of years now having met him through Maddy when they worked on EastEnders together. As Callum and I were developing the script we separately just started picturing him as Michael.

So it was dream casting for us when he read the script and wanted to be involved. He’d get embarrassed if I said it to his face but he really is an incredible actor. So beautifully balances the comedy and drama and created a believable and real character with actually very few lines which in a short film is so hard to do.

FTVN: Tell us about the other members of your cast.

SA: We worked with an incredible casting director Heather Basten who I’ve had the pleasure of working with a few times now.

For Archie we had numerous casting sessions where we saw lots of boys and also did chemistry reads with Himesh. Tom Sweet blew us all away – perfectly balancing the spoilt brat element to the character whilst also getting us to feel for him. Such an intelligent actor for someone so young, it was a joy to work with him.

Maddy was integral to the development process, often reading early drafts and giving notes. It was the first time we’ve actually worked together and I loved it – I hope she did too! Himesh and Maddy have such a fantastic understanding of each other and a natural connection.

They only have two scenes together that needed to say so much so the fact that they were so effortlessly believable as a couple who had been together for years helped us a lot.

Finally, I can’t not mention Sara Stewart and Jonathan Aris – two hugely talented and experienced actors who Callum and I have loved for years. Was an honour that they wanted to get involved in the film and really elevated it.

FTVN: Tell us about your production team.

SA: Callum was fully in the trenches with me every step of the way on this. The story is very personal to him so it made sense for him to be part of everything and I loved that collaboration.

We developed the script together over a number of years and it became a vehicle in which we were able to talk about our own feelings. We’ve been friends for years but by going through this process together we’ve become closer and able to talk about things more easily than we may have done in the past which is probably the best thing to come out of the film personally. I’m very proud of him.

Gabriele & Nick at Pinzutu Films are heroes and we are so grateful to them for the passion and perseverance they brought to the project. The shoot was delayed multiple times due to the pandemic and whereas a lot of producers would have decided to put a small short on the back burner they kept at it and some how found a way to make it happen whilst keeping everyone safe. It would have never been made without them!

Tasha Back (DOP) and Eve Shillingford (Production designer) were fantastic collaborators. I had a very specific way I wanted to tell this story visually and they both brought so much to the table. They definitely made me look better than I actually am!

FTVN: Where did you shoot and for how long?

SA: It was a three day shoot all in London. The last day at Parliament Hill Lido being a very wet and cold one.

FTVN: You are half-Finnish and half-British. Tell us about your upbringing and background in context.

SA: Both Finns and Brits have a wonderfully dry sense of humour which I think has had a big influence on me.

My mum showed me films by Aki Kaurismäki whilst I was growing up, and I’ve always been drawn to the minimalist ways in which he found humour in despair whilst never at the expense of the audience finding a deep emotional connection to his characters.

Similarly, my aim when bringing Enjoy to screen was to have the audience laughing but equally heartbroken at the same time, all the while telling a story with nuance and treating the difficult subject matter with respect.

FTVN: Did you do much research before writing the script for this short?

SA: The script is based on personal experiences but Callum and I ran multiple drafts through the mental health charity Mind to make sure we were getting everything right.

FTVN: You work across drama, documentary and commercials. How does each discipline dovetail in with storytelling contrasts?

SA: I’ve been very lucky so far to have experienced making films in different ways. Of course they are different in many ways but the end goal is always the same – to tell a story. So each project you learn something new that you take into the next even if it’s completely different – every day is a school day.

FTVN: The short is having its’ World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. How has the festival circuit been in terms of supporting works like your film?

SA: Yeah we are premiering at Tribeca and then going on to Palm Springs Shorts Fest. We feel very honoured that the film has been selected at such prestigious festivals and excited that it will hopefully reach a wider audience because of that.

It’s always nice when you make a short and someone other than your Mum gets to see it! Although Mum’s opinion will always be the most important..

FTVN: Would you be interested in expanding the issues and themes explored in this short into a feature subject?

SA: Yes for sure. It is something we are developing at the moment. Fingers crossed.

FTVN: Following on from that, what other issues and themes are you hoping to explore in your future work?

SA: There’s quite a few on the list. But for now that’s between me and my therapist.

FTVN: Given that the film represents issues affecting two generations of people, are there plans to show it to schools as well as charity organisations like MIND?

SA: As mentioned MIND were really helpful in the script development phase. If they or schools would find it helpful then I’d love for it to be shown. That would be amazing!

FTVN: How has the global situation affected your development and evolution as a film-maker?

SA: Maybe ask me again in a couple years?

FTVN: Finally, what are you most proud of about this short?

SA: So many things. I’d bore you to death if I listed them all. I guess actually making it was an achievement in itself given all the obstacles. But mainly I’m just really proud of my mates who got together and made something we all cared about and the fact that people seem to be responding to it is just incredible.

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Film and TV Journalist Follow: @Higgins99John Follow: @filmandtvnow