The Interview | A Psychological Thriller Short Film by Barnaby Roper
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- čas přidán 30. 01. 2020
- From legendary fashion-filmmaker Barnaby Roper (Kanye, David Bowie, Chanel) a taut psychological thriller short film. When a candidate interviews for a new job at an "unorthodox" firm, the process quickly turns into a boundary-breaking process of social control.
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THE INTERVIEW
A Catwizard Films Production
Directed by Barnaby Roper
www.barnabyroper.com/
"On its surface, the film is a straight forward two-hander-a young system analyst, skilled in forecasting, is interviewed for a new job. Typical conversations on qualifications and methodology follow, but quickly give way to increasingly personal questions, as the interviewer (Rory Kinnear) prods and pushes the candidate (Billy Howle) outside his comfort zone with seemingly inflammatory and non-sequitur inquiries that verge on sadistic.
Kinnear’s character is careful to be “reasonable” with his questioning. At several points, he stops the conversation to ask for consent to continue. However, the phrasing and context of the request is a challenge-is Howle’s character tough enough-man enough-to continue? The firm values “mental resiliency”, so to demur is to seemingly concede the argument that one is mentally weak. Thus they continue, despite considerable anguish.
What Roper appears to be evoking is a dystopian program at the corporate level, imagining a future (present?) where the inherent power imbalance between firm and employee bleeds into bizarre experimentation on a path to total control. If exaggerated, it is only subtly so-the film is so effective because it is speculative only by degree, rather than by concept. We are all familiar with modern capitalism’s fetishization of culture fit, and, especially in ambitious sectors, that frequently demands insane working hours, 24/7 digital availability, and a willingness to debase oneself at the mercy of superiors. What Roper and screenwriter John Dover imply is how pernicious the progrom is, and how employee complicity in their own exploitation is a figurative fig leaf for something darker in society.
Roper has had an illustrious career in image-making, having previously worked with the likes of Kanye West, David Bowie and with brands such as Nike, Dior, and Chanel. His work is typified by gorgeous fashion photography married to inventive post-production techniques that play with composition in fresh ways. I was first introduced to his work when curating the 2012 Vimeo Festival, where his work, Rêve, was nominated in the fashion category and I instantly fell in love. However, in the past couple of years, Roper has extended himself towards storytelling, beginning with My America, a 17min documentary project that received a Vimeo Staff Pick. Now The Interview has arrived and Roper mentions he is working on another short film as well as two feature projects. Commerical directors sometimes struggle with the transition to scripted, but his collaboration with Dover, and the smart writing evidenced by this short, make me optimistic for Roper’s future work in narrative. We’re excited to see what’s next." - S/W Curator, Jason Sondhi
CREDITS
DIRECTOR: BARNABY ROPER
PRODUCER: MIKEY LEVELLE
WRITER: JOHN DOVER
CAST: RORY KINNEAR, BILLY HOWLE
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SIMON CHAUDOIR
EDITOR: MATT NEE
CASTING: GEMMA SYKES
COLOURIST: SIMONE GRATTAROLA
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: TOM BERENSDEN
POST PRODUCTION: JOE WHITE, JESS GORICK, SERGE MIOT
1ST AD: STEVE WINGROVE
CAMERA CREW:
FOCUS PULLER: CHARLIE ENGLAND
2ND AC: MOLLY BURCHAM
GRIP: DAVID BRADSHAW
GAFFER: CHRIS RAWORTH
RUNNERS: STEVE CHARALUMBOUS, JACK PUNCHER
D.I.T.: ASHLEY HICKS, MATT HICKS
SOUND:
SOUND RECORDIST: MARK KESHISHIAN
SOUND DESIGN: TRZTN
SOUND: BENZENE
SOUND MIXER: LOIC CANEVET
SUPERVISOR: BENJAMIN DESPLANQUES
ART DEPARTMENT:
PRODUCTION DESIGN: SAM TIDMAN
STYLIST: JENNY COGAN
ART DEPT. ASSISTANT: LOUIS RUSCOLME KING, JAKE PARKER, FREDDY CASSAVETTI
SUITS BY PAUL SMITH
WARDROBE STYLIST: CELINE SHERDIAN
HAIR AND MAKE-UP STYLIST: ROBYN ROWAN
This film is reproduced on this channel with the permission of the filmmaker. - Krátké a kreslené filmy
He got the job. Cashier. He's ready to handle the Karen's.
Lmaoooo the perfect comment I swear!!
😂😂😂
@Karem Caetano 😀
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Who's going to handle the looters?
Lol
Outstanding acting. Felt like an episode of Black Mirror.
Not really, it was still good tho, just not black mirror good.
@@Wiggles131 He's not necessarily saying it's as good, he's clearly just saying it feels like it.
The interviewer is Black Mirror's first episode actor casting UK's Prime Minister. I really like this actor!
@@Wiggles131 I disagree. It was absolutely "Black Mirror good". This last season of Black Mirror was atrocious, so even saying it's Black Mirror good (which it is) isn't saying much anymore.
@@garrettlees ah well you can disagree, but your opinion is wrong. So stop spewing bullcrap false info, you sheep. You are not smart enough to understand.
Questions:
a) Did he get the job?
b) Did he accept the job?
c) What is the job?
Right, I want them to continue this short!
He was accepted for the job but later failed the mandatory health examination for all new employees.
@@FindLiberty Too much ganja, eh? :D
@@benrichardson7306 No, he failed to resist the physical stress and got disposed of.
You win 🏆😂
Boy, I am changing my mind about seeking a new position somewhere else...Sticking to the current job
lol. probably for the best
Agreed....was wrestling in my mind about getting out of my comfort zone and seeking a new position. Now....I'm not too sure
Lol
This is the best sort of drama--two characters in a minimalist setting. It works or fails on the script and acting. Well done!
My uncle wrote this script and one for a big movie coming out next year!
@@theomfDOOM He's a genius
Which movie ?
Continuation of interview:
• The interview is over. Do you have any statements?
- That didn't seem unorthodox to me.
• How so?
- In part one you you took tested my reactions to external stimulation the same way life does. You confused me by asking questions that seemed irrelevant, simulating our limited understanding of why anything happens in life or our fear of the unknown. You made it personal to raise my defenses to see how strong they are or rather how hollow they are.
In part 2 you tested my ability to filter my mind. There's a lot going on in our subconscious, so many thoughts that can make soothing melodies, chaos ect. You used chaos because if you can't use me at my worst then I shouldn't work here. You also simulated my conscious mind which often fixates on the parts of the past. I saw a green frog but my fixation was the green. Then you put a filter over the image the same way I put a filter over things to make them easier to identify. Red over dog, danger dog. That example although a generalization represents how we filter the world around us due to fear for what the past has thought us can be true. It is not actually true because that dog wasn't red it was brown, but it is true that it was red to me because that's all my filter allowed me to see.
This is not unorthodox because you questioned me in a way that life does so how is that abnormal to anyone if you think bout it. In an interview you try to discover the truth about someone and you did that by basing your methods on how we go through life.
I love the methods used in this film and I don't know how much of my evaluation is intended or true, but that's what makes sense to me. Thanks for reading
I absolutely loved your viewpoint. It's quite factual. Thanks for sharing!! Keep sharing, you are awesome my friend!!!
You are a genius!
Hell yeah buddy! Checks out if you ask me.
Only thing is, an interview should be mutual, the employee will be testing the waters as well, to make sure he wants to work there... I'm curious how much can be said in favor of this potential manager, based on this interview.
Not sure if I think he'd react that way. He seemed pretty traumatized especially with that business about the palisades mall and his mom hitting him. Even so, he may react that way to try to find reason on what he just experienced. He did mention that he thinks the brain has a natural tendency and compulsion to find patterns, so he maybe he would react the way you've interpreted.
All your interpretation made good sense having proper explanation
“From deep within our secret souls, do demons dwell and take their toll.”
There was no job.
Haha that's the best plot, thanks
Well that was friggin intense.
He portrayed frustration very well. Both of actors are very gifted.
But did he get the job??
Very, very good all-around. Great actors, great pacing, everything that makes a short psych thriller great.
Ig there was no job. He was there to meet the ghosts of his past.
it sucked
He failed the last answer. It was a brown dog, not a red dog.
What job?
This was insane to watch! “Never let them know your next move” - so unpredictable and uncomfortable
I've had some full on & intense interviews in the past, but I can't say they've ever matched up to this before. I recognised Rory Kinnear who's character projected such intimidation on the candidate. Rory's father was Roy Kinnear who died in Spain during a horse riding shoot in 1988. I believe it was accident that should never of happened, the hospital paid damages, no amount could cover the loss of a fine actor/father/husband r.i.p.
Huh. I need this to be a full movie.
Look at the movie "The Exam", it's something similiar.
@@SQUB Thank you! I will.
Basically the TV show Black Mirror haha
The interviewer was in a episode of black mirror actually.
The acting was really intense loved every moment.
I don't understand why the guy being interviewed became so unhinged in the end. I get the fact that the interview was intense but the end was a bit of an overreaction. And I don't think he was ever lost at the Palisades Mall. I think the interviewer just wanted to see if he was weak enough to believe it.
If I was the one being interviewed here the very obvious question would be... how can the interviewer know so much about me!? (and why does the guy never ask that question... most likely he is in so much stress that he does not reflect on it)
The interviewer knows about a traumatic event in the guys childhood. This event was most likely caught on CCTV and/or media - that is how he and the company knows (how much trouble, time and energy is required to attain such details about a subject for an interview? quite a lot I would say). If we assume that there was not much time between interview-session 1 & 2 the images presented in the VR-session were based on session 1. His dog was named Red and the last image we see is a dog and the colour red. This implies an entire team behind the interviewer because it is pretty impressive to be able to come up with those specific images in that short amount of time.
I interpret this film to be a reflection of the current and coming world where our whole lives are basically recorded or logged somehow. Maybe we forgot about a specific event a long time ago but somewhere there is a digital trace of it and someone might be interested in using that in some way when it comes to you!
Very intense film indeed! Brilliant acting!
As regards the intricate details about the candidate's life - especially about the Paalisades Mall, it is my understanding that it is essentially a fictitious incident injected by the interviewer: getting lost is fictitious; being held by security is too; and so is the idea that his mother hit him after being re-united.
People have been reported as "remembering the story" that never happened under pressure. My assumption is that this trick was employed by the interviewer.
@@deepakbellur9676 I really like your theory here. Can you explain what was the payoff or the main gist of the film.
@@Lhr803 I really don't know what the payoff was for the person being interviewed OR EVEN the interviewer. I feel the main payoff is for the film maker who seems to be keen on telling the World what sort of dangerous trends we are setting in motion.
Sorry, it's over 10 months back and I may have to see the film again to recapitulate.
Increasingly people are being fired for doing perfectly legal things on their own time that companies consider 'not consistent with the corporate values'.....
Still one of my favorite shorts. I love thinking of this as the beginning of a film and then trying to imagine the rest and what the job might entail.
An excellent film, with great acting and powerful dialogue, which stimulated emotional anxiety.
Buy me some Rum
This is actually OUR interview! How will we respond? What will you seek out to watch next?......something red. Choose carefully, they are watching!
.
By .
No go CT my
Excellent. So much talent went into creating this.
Job interviews have gotten a lot easier than when I was starting out. At least he didn't have to strangle a kitten.
79 people don't know what happened to the palisades
Ray Rob well what happened?
54 + Twinkle Star
Red is announced and flashes up for a second after the credits.
Yeah that was cool
Simple but intriguing concept, and GREAT execution, great acting from both actors!!
when a concept makes Art its biatch...
An outstanding short that has little time for convention.
I don’t get it...
There's nothing really to get it's just thrilling and good acting
Nothing to get accept doe the fact someone just wasted almost 10 minutes of your life.
@@andrewirwin4299 it's not wasted I enjoyed it
It's... a commentary on the unequal power dynamic between job seeker and interviewer, exaggerating it to the point of overt sadism and clear invasion of privacy, and by doing so, questioning just how different that really is from how they currently operate. There's no secret in-universe mystery to be uncovered regarding the nature of the job and questions if you look deeply enough.
The dog is yellow, not red. He failed
You need to pass this interview to work as a Starbucks barista.
the very definition of non sequitur questioning to get around the walls we have built up to protect ourselves.
That being said, I know several people who could sit through that interview calmly and answer every question without batting an eye. They're all special forces vets.
I also could
@@jarrodbrecht7002 bullshit
china thanks you for that info
Martin Stringer not quite, in fact there are control questions here, random questions and personal questions. I disagree with your elitism on special forces vets, and think you may need to recheck psychology.
Very good indeed! The interviewer (Rory Kinnear) usually plays 'good' guys, he's on Daniel Craig's team in the Bond movies, but he really does seem sinister in this!
i always saw him in roles of creepy bad guys...
He was in the first episode of black mirror called national anthem I think. He played the president who endures an unfortunate event . He is a fabulous actor and I never knew his name so thankyou
I have an interview style short film script that is unfinished and figured i'd take a look at how other interview shorts play out. Definitely didn't expect this. haha
He failed because he saying red dog 🐶 instead of brown...
Repeatedly
Amazing..
Keep rewatching this.
I was incredibly anxious watching this!
Was it me or did the video go by really fast? It was really cool thi. Definitely gonna share
this short movie pops up in my suggestion since i saw the serpent on netflix which had the interviewee as a dutch diplomat, his acting skills are just too good..
That ending was mesmerizing, amazing amazing work!!
Wow great acting on both parts but THE INTERVIEWER... exceptional!! Slipping w a subtle German accent... 👌
I would rather fail but want to face such an interview once.
Wow, this is amazing.
He got the job. He is working on Microsoft paint drawing multiple cards with different colors in an unorthodox methods. Green, yellow, red, orange, purple etc.
This was a good spin on the interview scene from “The Master”.
Oh that film... and that scene especially... was Masterful 😎😎😎
Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix... what a duo. So good 💙💜💖💚💛💗
Amazing! Punch-Clockwork Orange! Gave me chills. Loved it!
I hope I just missed the punchline because otherwise that was a terrible ending to a potentially great film.
Matthew Burgner what did I just watch 🙁😳
@@twinklestar620 so I'm not alone...
Same for me...
The dog is yellow, not red. His dog that died was red. He does not have the psychological resilience required for the job
Did they just get that far and run out of money? Or run out of ideas?
The cat-and-mouse aspect is strangely enjoyable, despite it being - of course - completely despicable. Welcome to the financial industry, boys and girls.
Thanks man for the full Version 😊
Thanks for checking back in. Sorry about that mix-up!
Where is the full version?
Very sinister - I love it!!
Kinda need some Captain Obvious to pop up. I'm not sure what the payoff was or I probably missed the punchline. Either way, I hope someone would explain what just happened. I'm trying to learn as much as I can from these professional shorts. Thanks!
“How do you like your eggs?” “Fried or fertilized?” Damn you Turquoise Jeep Movement!
I'm a man, I don't have eggs.
I've been interrogated by professional interrogators, it was very entertaining. They're obviously trying to wind you up. I took the view of an audience at a theatre, watching them watch me and wondering how the plot would go.
Thank you for reposting the full version this time lol
That was awesome but I didn't understand the ending. Great acting. Great script. I want more.
My uncle wrote the script!!
@@theomfDOOM He did? Congratulate him for me, please. Could you ask him to explain the ending? Thanks.
@@garrettleesI don't see him often but I will try
I'll just drive a bus, thanks.
Ben Aaron lmao
Ben Aaron It’s like Keyser Soze meets Dr. Lecter
I remember that interview! Customer Service Counter @ K Mart.
Entrevista ou interrogatório? Procura-se umtrabalhador ou um "resiliente crônico'"? Ótimo roteiro, direção e interpretações! Parabéns!
Job interviews feel like this sometimes, especially when they tell you it's only the 2nd of 5 interviews.
That was INCREDIBLE!
Feels like the baseline test in BladeRunner 2049 love it!
Oh, this was excellent...great acting, great set and seriously uncomfortable. Reminds me of my Philosophy interview for UCL 😂😬🤯
Brilliantly written…. The winner lives on the page before the camera is even in position. REMEMBER that. STORY ! 1st & ALWAYS.
brilliant piece of art
Excellent acting!! Good job
Very well acted!!!
I wonder what kind of job is he applying for that the interview was this intense.
Love it rory❤️
Nice idea, but looks like you didn't know how to end it.
Black Mirror vibes
Fascinating. I started growing out of complicity in employer exploitation by the time I was in my early to mid-20s. Definitely not something expected, understood or accepted the status quo from a single-Black mother in very white colonial Victoria, BC, Canada in the 80s. Needless to say, working in mostly female-led non-profit organizations where I was the only person of colour and unwilling to bow my head - the very reasons why people hired me, soon became the reasons they felt intimidated. I won't even try to go into what that meant doing a B.A. Hons in Philosophy in my 40s.
I live not far from Victoria! I constantly find that people admire and hire me for particular qualities, then resent me (and are intimidated) by the very qualities that they hired me for. Now that I understand narcissism and the behaviour patterns associated with it, I can gauge what is going on and as soon as the devaluing starts, I find another job.
this is very amazing
Nice work!
Only the strongest will survive
I was kind of hoping they were going to show the Pallisades mall at the end there. 😎
Some people will tolerate an insane amount of abuse when it comes to securing a desirable job. This interview is more like an interrogation at Guantananmo Bay. The guy can leave at any time he likes but he sits still and takes it. I guess this is why corporate employees are called clones, wage slaves, zombies, etc.
Rory Kinnear is such a great actor.
I once had a job interview exactly like that.
Does your job give mental pressure as much as the interview?
wow!!! i could totally respond all the questions ... those with the vr...i had a poem call " from Blue Flowers" i had a yellow cat and i knew a green bsby parrot
This was great! The bald guy is a great actor!!
Excellent.
BRILLIAN!!
This reeks of a Twighlight Zone adventure with an ending gone awry.
Did the Director bang a couple of lines from Einstein's ashes?
Who else is shook about the coffee question- ?
I watch my cream float around in the coffee or milk in tea but never thought of it in that manner.
Acting was phenomenal
Amazing
Brilliant! Red!!!!!!
St. Peter at the gates of Heaven...? Between the non-sequiturs the interviewer asked some very interesting and important questions.
That
Was
Amazing!!!
Wow!!
If the lighting was warmer and yellowish this would look like the back rooms
2:46 - I loved that part
Brilliant.
Was the bizarre nature of the interview meant to render the applicant psychologically disabled to the point of being defenseless toward future demands of the job? If so, then this type of twisted mental subjugation would also result in the undermining of the applicant's ability to focus and complete orders or tasks. ...Subjugation of mind/consciousness isn't easily achieved. The damage of other mental faculties are inevitable should a person not be conditioned in stages to respond. ...Interesting short film, not researched into what's real...but the idea presented here is entertaining though impossible as presented.
Just perfect for Billy. Drawn to true life dark or originals out of the norm. Such a deep soul and when talking films we had such similar taste like Rope. Few actors in one room. 12 angry men etc and obscure like Kapax. Billy says in interviews drawn to dark and maybe a little broken. So wrong Billy cares for intense just like this because intelligent enough to watch 3 hours of 2 people in a room their characters unraveling. Never seen in any comedy yet the most brilliant ironic laugh he is not all serious he just prefers to be in a short intense short film like this than eg superhero blockbuster. I don’t ever think Billy will betray his art for money. A humble kind young man rolling his cigarettes. His art is his life. His choice where to live unlike actors that have put money first and A listers yes but taken seriously no. A perfect pairing as I think of penny dreadful, the imitation game. 2 Actors who value their art more than money. Perfect casting. I saw someone thought Billy Dutch! The surpant brilliant and learning the Dutch accent perfectly the American accent for under the banner of heaven. He is hard to place stoke and Yorkshire would never be 1st thought. I loved this and would love to see these actors again together in a movie in one room. They are brilliant enough to have held attention for full length. Brilliant script and definitely left you wanting more. Their names never in first 4 actors listed but are so important to movies. Again I guess because not looking for paparazzi following fame. I didn’t recognise Billy because somehow the serpent and Chloe had escaped me I was so embarrassed and saw what a brilliant actor. Under the banner of heaven my favourite. I know looking forward to Hamlet but for me many more like this and true story the serpent under the banner of heaven infinite storm. Plus plenty more gripping shorts like this and together they are perfect for any thriller. Short or long
He was dathan
Did anyone get THE MESSAGE though?
(i DON’T know!)
Wow, that was good! I like that interviewer, He was in Penny Dreadful, fantastic series
I would love to be the subject of an inter interview like this, so I could really efff up the interviewer
Same. I'd just give him back random stupid questions
- So, am I hired?
- No sir. I am sorry, but all our positions were filled up weeks ago.
I'm so glad I 'Power Movied' this one...
Could anyone suggest me some more interview-based short films?
Would you like to continue?
Yep, red! 😝
What if , if the interviewer says HR will get back to you post such unorthodox round??? Btw who is the employer ?? Actors nailed their part..
I think I preferred it when it was cut short. Really what was the point. And did Mother take the dog to the railway tracks ? There are more questions than answers.