proposal for a
FEATURE FILM
THE ROAD TAKEN is a gripping road thriller about a couple’s first-date cycling trip from London to Kent that turns into a nightmare, becoming a life-and-death struggle for survival. A tense tale of primal fears, the film goes beyond the battle on the roads between cars and bikes to capture the zeitgeist of a world divided.
With its many side roads, left turns and unexpected moments there’s also something of a “through-the-rabbit-hole” feel to the events. A sharp sense of irony and wit runs alongside the ever-increasing danger, as the story tries to capture a snapshot of contemporary England through the ‘struggle for the road’.
As cycling becomes increasingly popular across the globe, even more so since the pandemic, its detractors are becoming ever more riled, leading to fractious clashes between motorists and cyclists. For some car drivers bicycles represent a minority interest that punches well above its weight ushering in a changed world where the car is no longer loved, no longer privileged, no longer the symbol of freedom that it once was. While automobiles are stuck in jams bike riders whizz past and ignore red lights and other rules of the road with impunity. Seething resentment can spark into anger at any minute…
Channelling “trip-goes-wrong” films such as ‘Deliverance’, survival-in-the-wilderness films like ‘The Revenant’, and the road-battle movie ‘Duel’, THE ROAD TAKEN creates an almost fable-like picture that gives expression to the mood of a nation torn apart.
THE ROAD TAKEN is a gripping road thriller about a couple’s first-date cycling trip from London to Kent that turns into a nightmare, becoming a life-and-death struggle for survival. A tense tale of primal fears, the film goes beyond the battle on the roads between cars and bikes to capture the zeitgeist of a world divided.
There is something of a ‘through-the-rabbit-hole’ feel to the film with its many side-roads, left turns and unexpected moments. A sharp sense of irony and wit runs alongside the ever-increasing danger, as the story tries to capture a snapshot of contemporary England through the ‘struggle for the road’.
As cycling becomes increasingly popular across the globe, even more so since the pandemic, its detractors are becoming ever more riled, leading to fractious clashes between motorists and cyclists. For some car drivers bicycles represent a minority interest that punches well above its weight ushering in a changed world where the car is no longer loved, no longer privileged, no longer the symbol of freedom that it once was. While automobiles are stuck in jams bike riders whizz past and ignore red lights and other rules of the road with impunity. Seething resentment can spark into anger at any minute…
Channelling “trip-goes-wrong” films such as ‘Deliverance’, survival-in-the-wilderness films like ‘The Revenant’, and the road-battle movie ‘Duel’, THE ROAD TAKEN creates an almost fable-like picture that gives expression to the mood of a nation torn apart.
Here’s a 2-minute montage of clips from YouTube that gives a flavour of the clashes between motorists and cyclists that occur everyday.
Here’s a 2-minute montage of clips from YouTube that gives a flavour of the clashes between motorists and cyclists that occur everyday.
SYNOPSIS
Self-confident cycling nut, Leo Loftus, the young CEO of a burgeoning London-based tech start-up, asks one of the company’s coders, Simone, on a cycling trip to Kent. Upbeat and bright, but somewhat innocent, Simone is from Martinique and is eager to see some more of England. They settle on hunting for strawberries in Kent, but we get the feeling that there’s something else both of them are after: each other.
On the trip, Leo becomes enraged by a “polite” notice for cyclists to dismount. He gets into an argument with the local villagers and things get out of hand when Rex, the driver of an old white Land Rover, stops and gets involved, seeing a chance to give vent his anti-cycling ire. Leo ends up smashing Rex’s windscreen with his lock and quickly cycles off with Simone in tow, just managing to lose the incensed Rex. Simone is disturbed by the event, but Leo seems to laugh the whole thing away and goes off to buy cigarette papers.
But when he doesn’t return, Simone is suddenly very isolated. She realises that Leo has gone off with her phone and her wallet in his pannier bag. Simone figures that the only way of finding Leo is to find Rex. An epic journey ensues, as she searches for the Land Rover and then becomes prey to a petrol-fuelled hunt. Kent becomes a hostile “wilderness” for Simone and she faces an existential battle for survival traversing across the Kent downs, along the Stour River to Canterbury and beyond. What happened to Leo and will she ever find him? Or will Rex get to her first?
SYNOPSIS
Self-confident cycling nut, Leo Loftus, the young CEO of a burgeoning London-based tech start-up, asks one of the company’s coders, Simone, on a cycling trip to Kent. Upbeat and bright, but somewhat innocent, Simone is from Martinique and is eager to see some more of England. They settle on hunting for strawberries in Kent, but we get the feeling that there’s something else both of them are after: each other.
On the trip, Leo becomes enraged by a “polite” notice for cyclists to dismount. He gets into an argument with the local villagers and things get out of hand when Rex, the driver of an old white Land Rover, stops and gets involved, seeing a chance to give vent his anti-cycling ire. Leo ends up smashing Rex’s windscreen with his lock and quickly cycles off with Simone in tow, just managing to lose the incensed Rex. Simone is disturbed by the event, but Leo seems to laugh the whole thing away and goes off to buy cigarette papers.
But when he doesn’t return, Simone is suddenly very isolated. She realises that Leo has gone off with her phone and her wallet in his pannier bag. Simone figures that the only way of finding Leo is to find Rex. An epic journey ensues, as she searches for the Land Rover and then becomes prey to a petrol-fuelled hunt. Kent becomes a hostile “wilderness” for Simone and she faces an existential battle for survival traversing across the Kent downs, along the Stour River to Canterbury and beyond. What happened to Leo and will she ever find him? Or will Rex get to her first?
THE TEAM
ANDY LAMBERT director/writer
Andy Lambert is a filmmaker and director of TV commercials. He got started as a director with a commission from Channel 4 for a 50 minute cine-essay called "Live From Britain" all about national identity during the Thatcher era. He later segued from documentaries into drama, writing and directing two short films: the first, "The Accidental Conspiracy" (for Film London) was a comedy-thriller set in the paranoid world of conspiracy theories; the second, "More is Less" (for BFI/C4), featured Eddie Marsan and focussed on a young couple gripped by ‘option paralysis’ on a Saturday night in London.
Andy then moved into the world of advertising and has been directing commercials ever since for clients such as Wall’s, Carlsberg, MasterCard, Honda, Nike, Fiat, Guinness, Nokia, E.On, Three, Coke, The National Lottery, Martini, DVLA and many others. His well-known Revels spot, a spoof of the Russian Roulette scene from ‘The Deer Hunter’, aired for 10 years or more.
Andy also created “The MUTE Series”, 'video snacks served dry’, made up of very short deadpan films bound by the same rules: RULE 1 no dialogue RULE 2 no camera moves RULE 3 only one shot. “The MUTE Series” was awarded Best International Web Series at the 2016 Buenos Aires WebFest and has been described by Script Magazine as “ridiculously funny” and by Tubefileter as:
“Funny, thoughtful, and surprisingly twisty… The MUTE Series represents the spirit of digital content.”
ANDY LAMBERT director/writer
Andy Lambert is a filmmaker and director of TV commercials. He got started as a director with a commission from Channel 4 for a 50 minute cine-essay called "Live From Britain" all about national identity during the Thatcher era. He later segued from documentaries into drama, writing and directing two short films: the first, "The Accidental Conspiracy" (for Film London) was a comedy-thriller set in the paranoid world of conspiracy theories; the second, "More is Less" (for BFI/C4), featured Eddie Marsan and focussed on a young couple gripped by ‘option paralysis’ on a Saturday night in London.
Andy then moved into the world of advertising and has been directing commercials ever since for clients such as Wall’s, Carlsberg, MasterCard, Honda, Nike, Fiat, Guinness, Nokia, E.On, Three, Coke, The National Lottery, Martini, DVLA and many others. His well-known Revels spot, a spoof of the Russian Roulette scene from ‘The Deer Hunter’, aired for 10 years or more.
Andy also created “The MUTE Series”, 'video snacks served dry’, made up of very short deadpan films bound by the same rules: RULE 1 no dialogue RULE 2 no camera moves RULE 3 only one shot. “The MUTE Series” was awarded Best International Web Series at the 2016 Buenos Aires WebFest and has been described by Script Magazine as “ridiculously funny” and by Tubefileter as: “Funny, thoughtful, and surprisingly twisty… The MUTE Series represents the spirit of digital content.”
ZADOC NAVA producer
Zadoc Nava produced “Gholam”, a British-Iranian feature film shot in London directed by the internationally acclaimed photographer Mitra Tabrizian and starring Shahab Hosseini (winner of Grand Jury prize for Best Actor at Cannes 2016 for his role in Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar wining ‘A Salesman’). “Gholam” came out in UK cinemas in March 2018 to rave reviews — Mark Kermode made it his Film of the Week in The Observer newspaper saying: ”A haunting debut feature…mesmerising performance by Shahab Hosseini…Tabrizian embraces the feature format with confidence, conviction and clarity of vision.. we can expect great things from her in the future.”
“Gholam” previously won the Platinum Award for Best First Feature at the WorldFest International Film Festival 2017 in Houston as well as screening at several other international film festivals including Seattle International Film Festival 2017 and East End Film Festival 2017.
Zadoc was selected as one of Film London’s most promising filmmakers on their inaugural “Lodestar” list of the top 25 creative talents in the film industry (2019) and he was also long-listed for BIFA Discovery Award (2018).
Zadoc is also an award-winning short filmmaker, commercials director and photographer.
Zadoc and Andy have worked together on shorts and commercials. THE ROAD TAKEN is their first feature film collaboration.
ZADOC NAVA producer
Zadoc Nava produced “Gholam”, a British-Iranian feature film shot in London directed by the internationally acclaimed photographer Mitra Tabrizian and starring Shahab Hosseini (winner of Grand Jury prize for Best Actor at Cannes 2016 for his role in Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar wining ‘A Salesman’). “Gholam” came out in UK cinemas in March 2018 to rave reviews — Mark Kermode made it his Film of the Week in The Observer newspaper saying: ”A haunting debut feature…mesmerising performance by Shahab Hosseini…Tabrizian embraces the feature format with confidence, conviction and clarity of vision.. we can expect great things from her in the future.”
“Gholam” previously won the Platinum Award for Best First Feature at the WorldFest International Film Festival 2017 in Houston as well as screening at several other international film festivals including Seattle International Film Festival 2017 and East End Film Festival 2017.
Zadoc was selected as one of Film London’s most promising filmmakers on their inaugural “Lodestar” list of the top 25 creative talents in the film industry (2019) and he was also long-listed for BIFA Discovery Award (2018).
Zadoc is also an award-winning short filmmaker, commercials director and photographer.
Zadoc and Andy have worked together on shorts and commercials. THE ROAD TAKEN is their first feature film collaboration.
TO REQUEST THE SCREENPLAY OR FOR ANY OTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT ZADOC
© Chainset Films 2021