Director's Chair: Them

Charles Harris is the director of Footloose Films, whose credits include the international award winning Paradise Grove.

This month, he gives us his take on French-Romanian thriller Them - so read ahead for our Indie director's Indie choice!

No, no, don't drive down that road, not at night.

Don't you have any sense? Woman! Don't argue with your daughter. Hey, you, daughter, don't argue with your mother. Not like that! Not with that, I don't give a shit attitude. Don't you ever go to the movies? Don't you know what kind of film you're in? Have you got no sense, you two?

Look, I told you... Now, what a mess you've got yourself in. Crashed beside a deserted Romanian country road under a street lamp in a tiny pool of light, surrounded by black, black, blackness that goes on for, well, ever. It's Them isn't it? What do you, mean, Them? I don't know - didn't you see the title? How is it that idiots like these manage to wander into a movie without checking out the title? Mind you, they're speaking Romanian, so probably the title is different. In fact, as a Romanian-French co-pro the title is Ils, which somehow manages to sound even weirder, and - NOOOOO!

She's gone and opened the door of the car. Has she no idea? Doesn't she realise I'm already behind the sofa, with my hands over my eyes. My mate Hedgehog is right beside me, humming an obscure song to himself in the forlorn hope that it will distract him. It doesn't. We both want not to look but -

Shit - I told you. Lock that car door. PLEEEEASSSE. LOCK THAT FUCKING DOOR!!!! Before....

There's Clementine (a French teacher in Bucharest) and Lucas (a slacking fiction writer she's living with) and they speak French, but I am deeply afraid that not even this will save them.

Maybe if I speak very, very slowly. Listen. This is a movie. It's been written by David Moreau and Xavier Palud. They do not have your best interests at heart. Yes, there are clichés but don't rely on that helping you. Yes, at the moment it's daytime, but night will fall soon. Get out. Go to another movie. A mindless RomCom with Hugh Grant. A nice family drama, where people don't - they just don't -

Too late.

What's out there? I don't fucking know. I don't care as long as they go away. Back into the darkness whence they came. It's Them. Are They supernatural or real? Are They malice incarnated or just playing games? Have I really been holding my breath all that long?

Lock the doors and windows before watching - and don't plan on an easy night's sleep.

© Charles Harris, April 2008