Jack and Jill Films produces, writes and directs feature films for the international market.

Jack and Jill Film's Projects

The Burial // Completed Film 

The Burial

Tagline: Three Brothers and a Coffin…
Written: Danielle Boucher & David Mills
Producer: David Mills
Executive Producer: Christine Alderson – Ipso Facto Films
Director: David Mills & Danielle Boucher
Featuring: Pascal Larderet, Josy Corrieri, Boubouche, Alain Bridonneau
Composer: Robert Davidson & Benjamin Burns
Genre: Comedy Roadtrip
Length: 90 Mins
Origin: UK/France
Status: Completed

International Sales: Moviehouse Entertainments
Website: www.theburial-film.com

Directors Statement

The idea for The Burial began when writer/directors David Mills and Danielle Boucher decided to take Cacahuete, an eccentric punk French street theatre company, and drop them into an unsuspecting remote Scottish village and film what happens.

Cacahuete would carry Mama's coffin and try, with the help of the locals, to find the cemetery. In a country where 'freedom' is cherished, would people choose to join the anarchy, subvert the norms and embrace some good-natured chaos? What’s the red button on the outside of the bus for? Let’s push it...

This rebellious spirit of freedom soon outgrew the television documentary idea and became a feature length road movie. The original concept challenged the public to feel ‘free’ in a public place. The film is more personal. Each of the characters are tormented by something that inhibits them – they need to be freed from their past. When co-writing the film David reflected on how he and his three sisters responded to the untimely death of their father in childhood. Each have taken a different path stemming in some way back to this childhood incident. In The Burial, the characters must face their own demons, their own bitterness before they can move on.

One of the great challenges for the directors, was taking the passion and energy of the lead actors’ anarchic comedic street personas, and harnessing it into a subtle simmering energy.
Given David and Danielle’s desire for a film rich with nuanced gesture, and their limited French, witty improvisation was channelled into physical performance mostly trapped inside a car.

The car, a vintage Daimler hearse, journeys with its cargo of comedic turmoil through a lonely landscape giving the film a timeless air. With minimal dialogue, the landscape became an important part of driving the narrative. The warm autumnal tones of Mama’s hometown give way to bleak barren stretches of road - reflecting the inner struggles of the characters.

A European sensibility was mixed with bittersweet Australian humour. In one scene, the unlikely hero Henri needs to stop for the toilet. It is raining and in every direction there is water. His unease is heightened by the hypnotic beat of the windscreen wipers, so he panics and chooses to empty his urine bag out the window. It is both amusing and painful to watch. The horrified reaction of the others sends us back into a boyhood memory. These resonant flashbacks form the emotional heartbeat for the film sending the audience back to the present with renewed empathy and understanding. And so this cycle continues until our 3 brothers and one long suffering girlfriend find their way back to the river that defined their lives.

Back to top

Submit your ideas

Jack and Jill Films develops/produces and co-produces films for the international market.

Have a look at our previous / new work and if you feel that your project is a match then we would be pleased to receive your submission below. We will try to respond to your submission within 4-6 weeks.

Please Complete all fields below.

Online Submission

Please remember we have a number of projects in development and cannot be held liable for any unexpected similarities between your submitted project and our existing projects.If we feel your pitch is in any way similar to an existing project we will contact you to discuss before proceeding.