Heartless

***Heartless*** is a psychological thriller produced by Edgar Spears , Emily M and Thom with Global Pictures and Cage Media in 2012. The film was never released, as it was Spears, Emily and Thom's Media coursework and they were only required to make a trailer.

The story centres on two lovers who have both been murdered and, learning in limbo from a mysterious Watchkeeper that only one of them can have their life restored, compete to rejoin the living.

The production was riddled with problems including time keeping, clash of opposing story ideas and a general lack of commitment from all parties to different degrees.

## Plot

Rachel (Brodie) is an average working woman and is in a relationship with a man, Martin (Lodziak-Green), she has gradually began to dislike. She does not approve of his frequent heavy drinking and impertinent treatment of his girlfriend. Martin, however, is not as aware that their relationship is enduring a difficult period, and continues to live his bohemian lifestyle.

One evening after work has finished for her, Rachel looks to get her usual bus. However, she is slightly late and misses it, and realises there are no other buses that evening. She calls Martin to ask if he can pick her up with his car, and after some squabbling he agrees. He does not take into account the fact he is incredibly drunk, and drives to collect her. Rachel stands up from the curb she has been sitting on and steps onto the road to see if she can recognise his car coming towards her. As she turns her back, Martin does arrive, uncontrollably driving the car down the road. Rachel observes the car and attempts to get out of its way, but she is too late and she is struck. The crash kills her, but Martin is rushed to hospital. Martin struggles to remain alive, and eventually a month later after the crash he dies.

Martin wakes up in a completely white space and is greeted by a mysterious man in a black suit and fedora (Arthur) who is holding a pocket watch. The man informs Martin that he is trapped in limbo, but he can have his life back if he can "claim [Rachel's] heart". Martin agrees, and so the man fades away in a manner not too dissimilar to Jake Fisher. As Martin stumbles through the unfamiliar realm, he encounters Rachel. Overjoyed to see each other, they quickly embrace, and Rachel kisses him. Martin pleads her to forgive him, to which she does.

The realm they are in begins to take the form of various disparate locations from the world of the living, such as libraries, cafes, restaurants and parks, and Martin starts his campaign to try to get Rachel to fall in love with him. Martin is overly affectionate and courteous, and Rachel receives it well. However, as he progresses, he begins to realise he might actually be falling in love with her, and attempts to suppress these feelings.

Eventually, the mysterious Watchkeeper appears before them both to their horror. The Watchkeeper informs them that he is tired of their games, and tells them to find him before time runs out or they will both be killed. Rachel then reveals to Martin that the Watchkeeper had also told her to try and get him to fall in love with her. The surprised pair nonetheless try to beat the other to find the Watchkeeper. When they eventually do find him, he tells them that they are late. He decides to change his original plan, so that this time one of them has to literally 'claim their heart', i.e. murder the other person and rip out their heart. The Watchkeeper, who is at a desk in a dark setting and is dialling the number for the Devil on his phone, watches as they struggle to comprehend what it is they are being told to do.

## Cast

The cast of the film

* Amy as Rachel. The part was initially going to be for Mrs Norris, but after bad time keeping, issues with filming and changes to the story, Norris was dropped and friend to the producers Brodie was chosen instead. Rachel is an ordinary woman working an office job, who has grown disenchanted with the relationship she has with Martin.
* Isaac as Martin. This role was originally for Mr MacMillan, the Bushfield drama teacher, but for the same reasons as Norris, he was unable to do so. However, Lodziak-Green was asked to play the part, which was ideal considering at the time he was in a relationship with Brodie.
* Thom as the mysterious watchkeeper. Arthur was due to play this part ever since the story was reworked to suit the endless list of problems facing the original production. Arthur's character was conceived as a Charon trope, but his role expanded to something with more personality. The character, who is referred to mainly as the watchkeeper due to the fact he constantly consults his pocket watch, originally served as the ferrymen of the dead, but his unethical treatment of some of the souls in his care led the forces of the universe to confine him to a prison they believed would restrict his interaction with anything. He is a sociopath who enjoys trapping recently deceased souls in his realm and toying with them.