‘Ancestors’ Invites You to a Cinematic “Séance,” Led by Éanna Hardwicke, That Mixes Dream, Reality and Memory (Exclusive TIFF Clip and Chat)

Is Ancestors, the directorial feature debut of The Lodgers and The Winter Lake writer David Turpin, a love story, a noir mystery or a metaphysical fable? Well, it is all of the above – and more!

And the drama brings together acting talent from Ireland, the U.K. and the U.S. Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment, Normal People, Saipan, A Very Royal Scandal) stars in Ancestors, written and directed by Turpin, along with Jack Wolfe (Shadow and Bone, The Witcher, The Magic Flute), Jessica Reynolds (Outlander, Kneecap, House of Guinness, A Woman of Substance, Derry Girls), as well as the legendary Rupert Everett (My Policeman, Another Country, The Importance of Being Earnest) and
Christina Hendricks (Mad Men, Good Girls, Firefly, Drive, The Buccaneers).

Ancestors will world-premiere in the Discovery program of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Saturday, Sept. 12.

Ancestors follows the charismatic but vulnerable Beau, portrayed by Hardwicke, as he searches across 1980s London for his missing friend Tiny, played by Wolfe. A haunting journey awaits the Irishman abroad at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in his homeland. “Dream, reality, memory and history entwine, ultimately bringing Beau face-to-face with life, death and the beyond,” teases a synopsis for the film. All these elements “come together on the edge of morality — where he discovers the truth about Tiny, and about himself.”

Ancestors features cinematography by Patrick Jordan and editing by Stephanie McCutcheon. Mister Smith Entertainment is handling sales. THR can debut the poster for the film right here.

In director’s notes, Turpin describes Ancestors as “a séance, sharing that since he was born in the mid-1980s, “I belong to the last generation who grew up in the shadow of AIDS, severed from contact with so many of the ancestors who shaped my life. Ancestors like Beau. This film reaches out to them.”

He also shares: “It is a film about a search, and it is a search itself. The story takes place in a half-remembered London of the 1980s, a nowhere place that is already passing from living memory. This is a world of bedsits and dark bar rooms; parks at night; squatters partying in drained swimming pools. It’s an enclosed, stylized idea of a time and place. Not the sound, but the echo of the sound. What’s real in the film comes from the performers. A séance is only as powerful as the people who join hands to perform it.”

People like to describe movies as journeys. Ancestors really feels like a journey, and in more ways than one. THR can now exclusively premiere a clip from the film and insight from Hardwicke into the creative process below.

If you are curious about attending this cinematic séance, you can soak up its atmospheric vibes in this teaser – and then look through old boxes of family stuff for some classic headphones. You’ll see what we mean once you watch the exclusive clip from Ancestors.

Why did this role and this script speak to you?

Some film scripts feel undeniable. This was one of them. David’s writing has such a strong identity to it; a very particular cinematic style, and it felt very tender.

I knew that it would not only be a challenge to inhabit Beau with sensitivity, but to fall in with the very strong style and feel David had for the film. Thankfully, the process was collaborative to its core, so it always felt like we were building it together. It was an interpretive challenge and a technical one.

What was the biggest challenge for you as an actor about taking a cinematic trip into 1980s London and in a séance-like way where reality/memory/imagination blur?

Building a character can sometimes feel like building a scaffolding around you; and I love that. David and I agreed from our very first meeting that there could be nothing “added” to this – here we were playing a character but doing so by unpeeling layers and revealing oneself in the work.

I always try to make the work personal, but here especially, it was a process of paring back and revealing rather than building. The challenge was to stay vulnerable, stay open in the midst of a busy film set. But that was made very easy by a wonderful team making the film, including many old friends and colleagues.

What’s your hope for the film and how it affects audiences?

I don’t hope for or expect anything in particular. Just that the film offers something to an audience – unexpected, hopefully. I always like unexpected!