Bobbie Cousins
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Director Luna Carmoon
Cast Saura Lightfoot Leon, Joseph Quinn, Hayley Squires
Producer Andy Starke, Loran Dunn, Helen Simmons
Production Company Delaval Film; Erebus Pictures; BFI; Anti-Worlds; BBC Film
Myself and the HOARD team faced the collaborative challenge of creating a visual landscape for the main character, Maria, who turned to hoarding in order to rebuild her domestic world as an escape from reality. These object narratives formed the backdrops for their joint exploration of this world of make-believe, causing the lines between childhood and adulthood, daughter and parent to become blurred. We had to enable this sense of magical realism whilst maintaining the connection with the contemporary world in order for viewers to be able to identify and connect more closely with the story of Maria, which created various challenges for the set dressing. One solution for which involved the utilisation of negative space as contrast to Maria's towering piles of personal totems, enabling the curated collection elements to "echo" within the rooms. This mirrors Lunas approach of delibraretly avoiding comfort in favour of a nuanced reflection on lingering pain. I embraced varied and layered methodologies within our design process, advocating for flexibility within our team in order to make best use of every member of the art department's individual interests and skills, resulting in the achieving of the film's overall visual landscape as a "catalogue of love". The set dressing reflects the complex psychology of hoarding, questioning whether those who accumulate old, seemingly useless objects might also cling to outdated ideas becoming custodians of a life preserved, a place where everyday detritus takes shape as object tributes to the past. Each design decision and object was meticulously considered, with all dressing chosen and presented as if destined for permanence; resonating with the script's exploration of parental roles and emotional impact. From the careful curation of our wasteland excavations/charity shop treasures, our approach and process mirrored the care taken by Maria herself to create hers (and our) object world.
Blog posts
Festivals:
Venice Film Festival:
- The Audience Award
- Award for most innovative film
- Special Mention to Saura Lightfoot Leon for her performance
- Female Authors Under 40 Valentina Pedicini Award for direction and screenplay
Athens International Film Festival:
- Award for Best Screenplay
LFF:
- Nominee for first feature competition
Seminci:
- Nominee for Meeting point best feature competition
Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival:
- Nominee for International Feature Competition
Valadolid:
- Nominee for Best Feature Film
Cambridge Film Festival:
- Selected for International Festival Highlights
Hoard was also selected in ‘Venezia a Napoli,’ ‘JIO Mumbai Film Festival,’ ‘Cairo International Film Festival.’ ‘Goteborg Film Festival,’ ‘Istanbul Film Festival,’ ‘Melbourne International Film Festival’ and ‘Munchen International Film Festivals.’
Reviews:
Hayley Squires and Joseph Quinn Time Out Interview
Variety Article - Venice Premiere
The Upcoming - Director and Cast Interview
The Upcoming - Director Interview
Quotes:
Peter Bradshaw from ‘The Guardian:’
“A social realist psychodrama of amour fou here in this fiercely intense and often macabre tale from feature first-timer Luna Carmoon”
Wendy Ide from ‘Screen Daily:’
“This visceral first feature from Luna Carmoon is, like its central character, unfettered, uninhibited and bracingly unusual.”
Robbie Collins from ‘The Telegraph:’
“Most exciting of all, though, is its sense of promise: like every great first feature, Hoard makes you desperate to see what else its maker’s mind has in it. Though in Carmoon’s case, that mind should probably be approached with caution, and a long pointy stick”
Josh Slater Williams from ‘Indie Wire:’
“That rare thing nowadays of a genuinely audacious, unnerving British debut”
Living room details
