Nobody Loves You
and
You Don't Deserve to Exist
2016 -2022
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Nobody Loves You
Production Details
Synopsis
This intense and brooding psychological mystery follows a grieving and traumatised English teacher struggling to locate the jigsaw pieces of his shattered past as he embarks on an existential journey through the cathedrals, canals and crevices of modern day Gothic Manchester.
This intense and brooding psychological mystery follows a grieving and traumatised English teacher struggling to locate the jigsaw pieces of his shattered past as he embarks on an existential journey through the cathedrals, canals and crevices of modern day Gothic Manchester.
Production
Written and Directed by Brett Gregory (Iceland: Beyond Sigur Rós, Manchester: Beyond Oasis, Liverpool: Beyond The Beatles) and starring David Howell (Brassic, Hollyoaks), Reuben Clarke (Peaky Blinders) and exciting newcomer, James Ward, ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ is a unique zero-budget, high-brow independent film which has taken an incredible 6 years to translate from script to screen in order to achieve and maintain its high production values.
Filmed by Gwyn Hemmings (Peaky Blinders, Northern Soul) it features 15 of Greater Manchester’s finest independent film, television and theatre actors, as well as a stunning original soundtrack by Andrew McCrorie-Shand (Teletubbies, Rosie and Jim, Brum).
Written and Directed by Brett Gregory (Iceland: Beyond Sigur Rós, Manchester: Beyond Oasis, Liverpool: Beyond The Beatles) and starring David Howell (Brassic, Hollyoaks), Reuben Clarke (Peaky Blinders) and exciting newcomer, James Ward, ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ is a unique zero-budget, high-brow independent film which has taken an incredible 6 years to translate from script to screen in order to achieve and maintain its high production values.
Filmed by Gwyn Hemmings (Peaky Blinders, Northern Soul) it features 15 of Greater Manchester’s finest independent film, television and theatre actors, as well as a stunning original soundtrack by Andrew McCrorie-Shand (Teletubbies, Rosie and Jim, Brum).
Style
With stylistic influences ranging from Jorge Luis Borges and Samuel Beckett, to early Mike Leigh and David Lynch, Brett Gregory consciously structured the film’s original screenplay from 2016 onwards into ‘monologic episodes’ in order to, firstly, take advantage of independent actors’ desire to film sequences for their personal showreels free of charge and, secondly, to introduce and reassert the themes of separation, disconnection and isolation.
In turn, since the narrative content of the film is primarily concerned with male grief, memory and identity in the face of ‘God’s Silence’, Brett encapsulated this idea by way of an authorial female narrator (or Greek chorus) to intervene, disrupt and interrogate the common 19th century ‘suspension-of-disbelief’ naturalism that still pervades 21st century cinematic storytelling.
As a consequence, these explicit literary mechanisms enabled Brett to explore narrative perspective and narrative temporality via the generic lens of the Bildungsroman, underscored by the instability of visual representation as symbolised by the multiple prints of Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights triptych which appear throughout the film’s iconography.
The final motion picture can thus be understood as a quasi-Chaucerian morality tale, accompanied and validated by Andrew McCrorie-Shand’s exceptional and insightful medieval soundtrack.
With stylistic influences ranging from Jorge Luis Borges and Samuel Beckett, to early Mike Leigh and David Lynch, Brett Gregory consciously structured the film’s original screenplay from 2016 onwards into ‘monologic episodes’ in order to, firstly, take advantage of independent actors’ desire to film sequences for their personal showreels free of charge and, secondly, to introduce and reassert the themes of separation, disconnection and isolation.
In turn, since the narrative content of the film is primarily concerned with male grief, memory and identity in the face of ‘God’s Silence’, Brett encapsulated this idea by way of an authorial female narrator (or Greek chorus) to intervene, disrupt and interrogate the common 19th century ‘suspension-of-disbelief’ naturalism that still pervades 21st century cinematic storytelling.
As a consequence, these explicit literary mechanisms enabled Brett to explore narrative perspective and narrative temporality via the generic lens of the Bildungsroman, underscored by the instability of visual representation as symbolised by the multiple prints of Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights triptych which appear throughout the film’s iconography.
The final motion picture can thus be understood as a quasi-Chaucerian morality tale, accompanied and validated by Andrew McCrorie-Shand’s exceptional and insightful medieval soundtrack.
Brett Gregory: Writer / Director / Producer
'Mainstream movies are like colouring books that have already been coloured in for you.'
Despite being raised on a council estate in the Midlands (UK) throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Brett progressed through further and higher education to become a college and university lecturer in Film Studies and Media Production in Manchester (UK) until moving into film production full time in 2015.
He has previously written, directed, produced and self-funded the freely available music documentaries 'Iceland: Beyond Sigur Rós'(2010), 'Manchester: Beyond Oasis' (2012) and 'Liverpool: Beyond The Beatles' (2014), as well as various music videos, commercial promos and short dramas.
'Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' (2021) is his debut feature film.
'Mainstream movies are like colouring books that have already been coloured in for you.'
Despite being raised on a council estate in the Midlands (UK) throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Brett progressed through further and higher education to become a college and university lecturer in Film Studies and Media Production in Manchester (UK) until moving into film production full time in 2015.
He has previously written, directed, produced and self-funded the freely available music documentaries 'Iceland: Beyond Sigur Rós'(2010), 'Manchester: Beyond Oasis' (2012) and 'Liverpool: Beyond The Beatles' (2014), as well as various music videos, commercial promos and short dramas.
'Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' (2021) is his debut feature film.
Gwyn Hemmings: Director of Photography / Co-Producer
‘Filmmaking is like painting at 24 frames a second.’
Gwyn is a camera and lighting operator based in Manchester (UK) with over 15 years experience in live action, stop motion animation and motion control. Gwyn began his freelance career working as a trainee and then as an assistant on a number of BBC, CBBC, ITV and Channel 4 productions such as ‘Peaky Blinders’, ‘Happy Valley’ and ‘The Worst Witch’.
‘Filmmaking is like painting at 24 frames a second.’
Gwyn is a camera and lighting operator based in Manchester (UK) with over 15 years experience in live action, stop motion animation and motion control. Gwyn began his freelance career working as a trainee and then as an assistant on a number of BBC, CBBC, ITV and Channel 4 productions such as ‘Peaky Blinders’, ‘Happy Valley’ and ‘The Worst Witch’.
Jenny Barnard: Co-Producer
‘On many occasions it’s felt like this project was never going to end!’
Based in Hulme, Manchester (UK), Jenny has been a constant stalwart behind-the-scenes of ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ since its inception in 2015. Goal-oriented, resourceful and practically minded, she has helped to realise the production in innumerable ways by providing locations and props, costumes and transport, essential advice and even accommodation.
‘On many occasions it’s felt like this project was never going to end!’
Based in Hulme, Manchester (UK), Jenny has been a constant stalwart behind-the-scenes of ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ since its inception in 2015. Goal-oriented, resourceful and practically minded, she has helped to realise the production in innumerable ways by providing locations and props, costumes and transport, essential advice and even accommodation.
Jack Clarke: Camera Assistant / Sound Recordist / Co-Producer
‘It’s either this or the abyss.’
Born and raised on a council estate in Salford, 22 year old Jack’s active interest in the representation of the working class in the North West of England led him to study a BA (Hons) in Media Production at the University of Salford. He has now progressed on to an MA in Film/Media Production Management and also has been enlisted as part of the BFI’s Creative Producer Lab programme. ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ is his first major production.
‘It’s either this or the abyss.’
Born and raised on a council estate in Salford, 22 year old Jack’s active interest in the representation of the working class in the North West of England led him to study a BA (Hons) in Media Production at the University of Salford. He has now progressed on to an MA in Film/Media Production Management and also has been enlisted as part of the BFI’s Creative Producer Lab programme. ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ is his first major production.
Vedad Rusidovic: Associate Producer
‘This film is more than just a compelling story: it’s a beacon of hope for micro-budget filmmakers everywhere.’
Vedad was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and relocated in the North West of England in 1992 at the age of 17. Over the last 20 years he has been involved in developing and delivering screen production training programmes throughout the region, and has also collaborated on the low-budget feature films 'Brother's Day' (2015) and 'Black Box' (2021). He currently teaches on the Media and Performance undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes at the University of Salford.
‘This film is more than just a compelling story: it’s a beacon of hope for micro-budget filmmakers everywhere.’
Vedad was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and relocated in the North West of England in 1992 at the age of 17. Over the last 20 years he has been involved in developing and delivering screen production training programmes throughout the region, and has also collaborated on the low-budget feature films 'Brother's Day' (2015) and 'Black Box' (2021). He currently teaches on the Media and Performance undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes at the University of Salford.
Andrew McCrorie-Shand: Composer
‘Writing music for a film while it’s actually being shot is a rare adventure for a composer.’
Andrew is a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer and composer. Influenced by Frank Zappa, he joined the progressive rock band ‘Druid’ in 1974, and in the 1990s was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for his work on children’s television favourites ‘Teletubbies’, ‘Rosie and Jim’ and ‘Brum’. Andrew also composed the international hit single, ‘Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"’, in 1997.
‘Writing music for a film while it’s actually being shot is a rare adventure for a composer.’
Andrew is a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer and composer. Influenced by Frank Zappa, he joined the progressive rock band ‘Druid’ in 1974, and in the 1990s was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for his work on children’s television favourites ‘Teletubbies’, ‘Rosie and Jim’ and ‘Brum’. Andrew also composed the international hit single, ‘Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"’, in 1997.
David Howell: Jack (Aged 50)
‘The final monologue is explosive, and I just had to deliver it with everything I had.’
Based in Stockport (UK), zealous, energetic and versatile, David is a former fireman who jumped head-first into the world of stage and screen acting later in life. He has appeared on stage in ‘Tipping Point’, ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘The Stretch’ as well as on television in ‘Coronation Street’, ‘Hollyoaks’ and ‘Brassic’. ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ is his first lead in a feature film.
‘The final monologue is explosive, and I just had to deliver it with everything I had.’
Based in Stockport (UK), zealous, energetic and versatile, David is a former fireman who jumped head-first into the world of stage and screen acting later in life. He has appeared on stage in ‘Tipping Point’, ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘The Stretch’ as well as on television in ‘Coronation Street’, ‘Hollyoaks’ and ‘Brassic’. ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ is his first lead in a feature film.
James Ward: Jack (Aged 21)
‘This film is insanely good.’
Born in Warrington (UK), 23 year old James is a passionate and dynamic stage and screen actor who helped to establish Farewell Theatre Company while still a student at the University of Salford. He took the Manchester Fringe Festival by storm in the play ‘Boots ‘n’ Braces’ in 2019, and ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ is his first feature film.
‘This film is insanely good.’
Born in Warrington (UK), 23 year old James is a passionate and dynamic stage and screen actor who helped to establish Farewell Theatre Company while still a student at the University of Salford. He took the Manchester Fringe Festival by storm in the play ‘Boots ‘n’ Braces’ in 2019, and ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ is his first feature film.
Reuben Clarke: Jack (Aged 13)
‘This is the best thing I’ve ever been in!’
Born in Wythenshawe (UK), 12 year old Reuben is a gifted, disciplined and fearless young actor who has already appeared alongside Cillian Murphy in ‘Peaky Blinders’. Guided by his supportive family, his work ethic in terms of preparation and rehearsals is incomparable, and he is definitely ‘one to watch’ for the future.
‘This is the best thing I’ve ever been in!’
Born in Wythenshawe (UK), 12 year old Reuben is a gifted, disciplined and fearless young actor who has already appeared alongside Cillian Murphy in ‘Peaky Blinders’. Guided by his supportive family, his work ethic in terms of preparation and rehearsals is incomparable, and he is definitely ‘one to watch’ for the future.
Caroline Chesworth: The Narrator
‘This really is an exciting project to be a part of. Who knows how far it will go?’
Intelligent, dedicated and memorable, Caroline is a former clinical psychologist based in Preston (UK) who has appeared on stage in ‘Connections’, ‘Paper Crown’ and ‘Taboo’ as well as on television in ‘SeaView’. Passionate and detailed in her approach, ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ is her first feature film.
‘This really is an exciting project to be a part of. Who knows how far it will go?’
Intelligent, dedicated and memorable, Caroline is a former clinical psychologist based in Preston (UK) who has appeared on stage in ‘Connections’, ‘Paper Crown’ and ‘Taboo’ as well as on television in ‘SeaView’. Passionate and detailed in her approach, ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Exist’ is her first feature film.
Jude Wainwright: Visual Artist
All the original artwork for ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Existed’ has been painted by the hugely talented Manchester artist, Jude Wainwright (www.judewainwright.com)
All the original artwork for ‘Nobody Loves You and You Don’t Deserve to Existed’ has been painted by the hugely talented Manchester artist, Jude Wainwright (www.judewainwright.com)
Permissions
We have signed and dated release forms for all cast, crew and privately owned locations, and a signed and dated artistic agreement between the writer/director/producer and the composer.
All of these documents are available on request.
Trademarked goods and services such as Google, EE, Smirnoff, 1980s Spiderman comics etc. are all portrayed in the film in an honest and functional everyday context which is unlikely to cause 'confusion, deception, or mistake' on the part of the audience since they are individually presented 'as intended' by their creators and/or manufacturers, i.e. as a search engine, as a voicemail service, as an alcoholic drink, as a comic etc.
Links:
https://www.uspto.gov/page/about-trademark-infringement
https://creativeip.org/using-other-peoples-trade-marks-in-your-film-or-performance/
We have signed and dated release forms for all cast, crew and privately owned locations, and a signed and dated artistic agreement between the writer/director/producer and the composer.
All of these documents are available on request.
Trademarked goods and services such as Google, EE, Smirnoff, 1980s Spiderman comics etc. are all portrayed in the film in an honest and functional everyday context which is unlikely to cause 'confusion, deception, or mistake' on the part of the audience since they are individually presented 'as intended' by their creators and/or manufacturers, i.e. as a search engine, as a voicemail service, as an alcoholic drink, as a comic etc.
Links:
https://www.uspto.gov/page/about-trademark-infringement
https://creativeip.org/using-other-peoples-trade-marks-in-your-film-or-performance/
Teaser Trailer #1
Teaser Trailer #2
Teaser Trailer #3
Cast and Crew
Press
Podcasts
12 year old actor, Reuben Clarke, and his mother, Mel, discuss with Jack Clarke the challenges of being a child actor, the challenges of being the parent of a child actor and what he learned about his abilities and his depths in his role as Young Jack in Brett Gregory's debut feature film, 'Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' (Manchester UK, 2021).
David Howell (actor and former firefighter) discusses with Jack Clarke his lead role in Brett Gregory's debut feature film, 'Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' (Manchester UK, 2021), recounts his experiences of working on Brassic, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks, and shares his views on showreels, casting, agents, the value of criticism and the importance of personal ambition.
James Longman (North West-based freelance filmmaker for Pro Vinyl and Grit Multimedia) discusses with Jack Clarke (Serious Feather Co-producer) breaking into the industry and making money as a director in your 20s, the films that have influenced his creative outlook, as well as what it was like working on Brett Gregory's debut feature film, 'Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' (Manchester UK, 2021).
Simon Naylor (Director of Acting Classes for the Manchester Acting Platform and Manager of the Manchester-based arts hub, 53two) discusses with Jack Clarke (Serious Feather Co-producer) the actors he's trained and who appear in Brett Gregory's debut feature film, 'Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' (Manchester UK, 2021), as well as his wider views and insights into the current shape and direction of independent acting, acting agencies and drama production in the North West of England.
Andrew McCrorie-Shand (Ivor Novello-nominated composer for Teletubbies and Rosie and Jim) discusses with Jack Clarke (Serious Feather Co-producer) his career in music and his haunting medieval soundtrack for Brett Gregory's debut feature film, 'Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' (Manchester UK, 2021).
Caroline Chesworth (former clinical psychologist and actor) and Jack Clarke (Serious Feather Co-producer) discuss the roles played by female characters and the therapeutic powers of storytelling in Brett Gregory's debut feature film, 'Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' (Manchester UK, 2021).
MA students Rob Edwards (camera assistant) and Jack Clarke (Serious Feather Co-producer) discuss the role of trauma theory and existentialism in Brett Gregory's debut feature film, 'Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' (Manchester UK, 2021).
Gwyn Hemmings (cinematographer) and Jack Clarke (co-producer) discuss the 5 year production timeline for Brett Gregory's debut feature film, 'Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' (Manchester UK, 2021).
David Howell (actor) and James Ward (actor) discuss the challenges of delivering extended monologues while working on Brett Gregory's debut feature film, 'Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' (Manchester UK, 2021).