The effects of mental health are explored in the bittersweet relationship between a home tutor and a troublesome child in Saul Abraham’s short drama ENJOY.
Himesh Patel (YESTERDAY) plays Michael, a tutor assigned to deal with an unruly boy who is out of school for disciplinary issues. However, his own personal and mental issues come to the fore when the boy challenges his own mindset….
Abraham taps into the current world view of struggles of mental health with a searing and sobering account of the ever-present and ongoing thoughts that plague us universally throughout our life journeys.
Check out some stills from the film here:
ABOUT THE FILM:
ENJOY stars Emmy-nominated actor Himesh Patel (Station Eleven, Tenet, Don’t Look Up), alongside a standout performance from exciting young talent Tom Sweet (The Childhood of a Leader, Great Expectations). The film also stars Maddy Hill (EastEnders), Jonathan Aris (Sherlock, End of the F*****g World) and Sara Stewart (Batman Begins, Empire of Light).
ENJOY is a touching, offbeat exploration of the ways in which depression manifests itself in men and boys.
The film approaches the universal theme of male mental health in a way we rarely see depicted on screen, leaving audiences laughing but equally heartbroken at the same time, all the while telling a story with nuance and treating the difficult subject matter with respect. This timely short has qualified to be considered for the 95th Academy® Awards by winning the Best Narrative Short Film Award at the 2022 BendFilm Festival.
Progressive muscle relaxation, Lycra, spoken word. As home tutor Michael (Himesh Patel) seeks ways out of his spiraling depression, a moment of hope arrives via an unexpected source.
ENJOY premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and went on to win a host of awards for Best Short Film at Oscar® qualifying festivals around the world. Leads Himesh Patel and Tom Sweet have also received multiple awards for their performances in the film.
The film is based on award-winning screenwriter and playwright Callum Cameron’s time as a private tutor and how his own experience with depression collided with some of the children he was working with. The half Finnish, half British director Saul Abraham was immediately struck by how delicately Callum handled the feelings of misery, guilt, shame and worry whilst still making something warm, hopeful and funny and wanted to be involved in the project straight away.
Abraham is an award-winning director and producer working across drama, documentary, and commercials. His filmmaking is stylish, cinematic and thought-provoking, often centring on a darkly comic critique on society and modern day relationships. Saul’s previous short film BREAKING picked up acting awards for its leads Antonia Thomas and Martin McCann and his documentary MOSES: STRONGMAN, part of the Idris Elba curated takeover on BBC3 and iPlayer, led him to be included in the BBC New Talent Hotlist.
ENJOY is the second live action short film by Pinzutu Films, founded by producers Nick Rowell & Gabriele Lo Giudice. Their first short film VERT starred Nick Frost and Nikki Amuka-Bird and won a Special Jury Prize at SXSW. They have more recently produced STRUCK in association with Hulu and 20th Century Fox.
Cinematographer Tasha Back won the prestigious Best Cinematography in a Short Film award from the British Society of Cinematographers for her work on the film. Her other credits include the Turner Prize Award-winning film THE DESTRUCTORS and BAFTA Cymru-winning TV Drama and Channel 4’s ADULTING.
International sales are handled by Salaud Morisset (SKIN, NIMIC, LES MISÉRABLES). ENJOY has just been released on Disney+ in Europe.
Now read Film And TV Now’s interview with Saul Abraham here:
