EXCLUSIVE: Happy Valley star Siobhan Finneran is starring in a Black Mirror-esque British LGBTQ+ sci-fi movie about death in the internet age, with cameras rolling this week.
Chatlines follows Jordan, a 30-something with terminal cancer in 2027 who spends his final days drifting between morphine dreams and digital distractions. On a whim he uses an old Chatroulette-style app and on the screen appears Danny, a sarcastic, vibrant guy, also terminally ill, who swears it’s 2005. As days pass, the two men form a deep bond, opening up about their regrets, dreams and the loneliness of facing death too soon.
The Black Mirror-style movie stars Lloyd Eyre-Morgan (Departures) as lead, who also co-directs, along with Nico Mirallegro (My Mad Fat Diary), who plays Danny. Finneran, a BAFTA nominee for her role as Clare in Happy Valley, also stars alongside Faye Mckeever (Adolescence), Laura Aikman (This City is Ours) and Hannah Jones (What it Feels like for a Girl).
Cameras roll on Chatlines this week.
The pic is being produced and financed by Punk Spirit Films, which previously made soon-to-launch BFI Flare premier Departures. That pic is a northern comedy drama that dissects a toxic relationship from all angles.
Neil Ely (Departures) directs Chatlines and Eyre-Morgan co-directs, writes and stars. Paul Mortlock (Sons of Ecstasy) produces and is DoP. Casting was by Lucy Allen and Tom Payne.
