FROM THE DIRECTOR
"Around the time I was talking to Reid about a potential video for his beautifully melodic "My Dearest Friends", I was also writing a short film about a cult. I lost interest in the short but I then got excited about the idea of combining the two - which was a radical departure from Reid's original intention.
The wholesome and sincere lyrics worked perversely very well from the imagined perspective of the deranged cult leader of this suicide cult! I was nervous that Reid wouldn't go for it but he loved the juxtaposition. Plus he's also an excellent actor so I think he relished the chance of trying something a bit left field.
The enigmatic cult itself was entirely made up and based around the Chinese symbol of Shou, meaning "longevity" or "eternal life". Myself and the production designer Gaby Nicholson had a lot of fun making it as ubiquitous as we could. It's on banners, t shirts, necklaces, temporary tattoos; even the cake they scoff down.
We also wanted to add in a feel of the iconography of cult documentaries like "Wild Wild Country" so we peppered in "VHS" footage (actually DV footage). The costume design also had more than a little inspiration from this!"
-Dan Sloan
