l a y k e a n d e r s o n
'So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan: He who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.'
— Revelation 12:9
Currently filming, Sweet Brother tells the story of Jude, a gentle man on a journey across 'Hell' to pay a healing visit to Bess, a blind pot-head with a love for house-plants and classic literature, but an aversion to people.
What Jude is to discover during his visit, is that this woman isn’t at all who she appears to be on the surface, for Bess happens to possess what just might be the most powerful object in all the universe. The question is, will a pious young man submit to temptation, or will a blind adherence to dogma protect him from the coming 'apocalypse'?
A meditation on the fall from grace, and a savage fairy tale for our troubled times, touching on transformation and chaos, morality and revelation, the number eleven, fruitcake... and unicorns. The film also explores the guises of Satan and the limits of God’s patience.
The journey so far...
What began as a writing exercise during the lockdown of 2020 quickly grew into something of a passion project based around the ideas of 'faith' and 'trauma', and the screenplay was devised around two magnificent actors, Sophie Brooke and Orlando Brooke. While the majority of the film has indeed been scripted, Sweet Brother's process eschews the more traditional style of filmmaking, with the images serving more as an exploration, rather than just an illustration.
A crowdfunding campaign was launched on Good Friday 2021, successfully raising more than 122% of the original target budget, with backers including Martin Sherman, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Emilia di Girolamo, Stephen Fry and John Cameron Mitchell.
You can follow the progress either here, or on the film's Instagram or Facebook pages.
Thank you to every generous soul who has backed or supported this ambitious little film, which will be completed by late 2022, with an aim to release some time in 2023.
CROWDFUNDING TRAILER
122% SUCCESSFULLY CROWDFUNDED!
featuring
Sophie Brooke + Orlando Brooke
with
Raffiella Chapman + Maya Markelle + Henry Garrett
Lisa Moorish + Peter McPherson + Charlie MacGechan
Gem Carmella + Chloe Keenan + Jon Campling
Merryl Ansah + Stefania Licari + Joshua Parris
Luke Ireland + Carol Walton + Kane Surry
Rocci Williams + Yan Toby-Amisi + Abe Jarman
Jarry Glavin + Natasha Benton + Daisy Clarke
Jane Paul Gets + Joe Hughes + Luke Callan
Rajneet Sidhu + Ana Torre + Charlene Griffith
Jason Ford + Tudor Baron + Amethyste Mangangu
Nick Croft-Simon + Aidan O'Callaghan + Tereza Srbova
Casting Director: Maia Von Hurter.
Styling + Wardrobe: Maurizio Iapicca.
Makeup Artists: Dimitra Avramidou + Maisie Boyd
Director of Photography: Jean-Paul Berthoin.
Camera Operators: Alejandro Sesma + Layke Anderson.
Associate producers: Christian Mahieu + Glen Allen.
Co-producers: Scott Brand, Aidan O'Callaghan + Sasha Latoya.
Executive producers: Pip Pickering + Daniel Hubbard.
Executive producers: Jean-Paul Berthoin + Robert Mathis.
Writer, Producer + Director: Layke Anderson.
If you would like to get in touch for more information, please use the CONTACT form.