04-18-2020, 08:06 PM
Best IDU Film
Sawdust
Release Information
Released - June 30th, 2019 (LOM) and July 10th, 2019 (IDU)
Language - English
Run time - 104 minutes
Directed by Mathew Bradley
Staring James Greenheart as Michael
Synopsis
Set in the months leading up to the Maximusian Civil War (Winter of 1836-1837), Sawdust opens on a muddy farm located just outside of Litudinem. Michael (James Greenheart), a young carpenter, sits silently on his rickety porch, eyes lazily scanning the horizon. Off in the distance, a group of soldiers can be seen setting fire to a small home. As the building goes up in flames, the soldiers move their attention to an old man who has been tied to a fence post. They taunt and jeer at the old man for a few seconds before one of the soldiers unceremoniously guns him down. Laughing maniacally, the soldiers turn to face Michael.
The film then jumps back a few weeks. Michael leads a fairly ordinary life as a carpenter, spending most of his time working diligently on a set of cabinets for a wealthy Litudinem socialite, Mabel Hawkins. Mrs. Hawkins visits the young carpenter every day to check on his progress. During one of their meetings, Mabel expresses her disdain for the local governor, finding him to be a corrupt and cruel figure. Knowing that speaking ill of local officials is a punishable offense, Michael simply shrugs the comment off and returns to his work.
That evening, Michael runs into an old friend, Peter, at the local pub. Looking quite distressed, Peter asks Michael if he can store several crates in the shed behind Michael’s store. The carpenter initially rejects his friend’s request after Peter refuses to tell Michael what is in the crates. After a heated discussion, Michael ultimately agrees to store the crates for 24 hours but vows to turn the containers over to local authorities if they are not picked up before that time. Peter thanks Michael and the two part ways.
On his way home from the pub, Michael is assaulted by two soldiers. They beat the young man violently, steal his wallet, and leave him, bleeding and injured, on the side of the road. A defeated Michael slowly limps home.
The next morning, seeing Michael visibly wounded, Mrs. Hawkins inquires about his injuries. Michael explains the entire event to the socialite and sadly acknowledges that the soldiers who beat him will never be punished for their crime. Continuing from where she left off the day prior, Mrs. Hawkins tells Michael that she believes the entire political system must be rebuilt from the ground up. Michael agrees with the woman and the two happily consider what life would be like if the current regime was removed from power. The pair are snapped out of their fanciful daydream when a young man enters the store, prompting Mrs. Hawkins to begin her walk home. The man attempts to retrieve Peter’s crate but is stoped by Michael, who asks the young man to describe the contents of the package. Clearly believing that Michael knew what was in the crates and was just testing him, the young man states that the crates contain 25 rifles, all intended for use by the local militia. Quickly realizing that Michael was not a member of the local militia, the young man attempts to stab him but is stopped by Peter, who enters the shop and disarms his compatriot at the last minute.
The trio return to the pub where Peter explains that the local militia is planning to stage an uprising in downtown Litudinem. Peter, who is revealed to be one of the militia’s primary coordinators, implores Michael to join the group and aid him in the upcoming attack. Michael politely declines, believing that resistance against the local authorities is an act of futility. As he gets up to leave, the young carpenter recalls his conversations with Mrs. Hawkins. Inspired by the woman’s words, Michael decides to allow the militia to store their arms and ammunition in his shed.
That night, in an oddly euphoric state, Michael locks himself in his workshop and completes Mrs. Hawkins's cabinet set, a task that should have taken several more days. Mabel Hawkins, upon seeing his completed work the next morning, pays the carpenter twice their agreed-upon amount and tells Michael that the cabinets are the finest set she has ever seen. Having enjoyed her company greatly, Micheal confesses to Mrs. Hawkins that his burst of energy was the direct result of joining a cause bigger than himself. Upon further prompting by Mabel Hawkins, Michael explains that, following their discussion the day prior, he had agreed to aid the local militia in their efforts to topple the governor from power. A seemingly elated Mrs. Hawkins encourages Michael to do all he can for the militia and leaves the shop.
Unbeknownst to Michael, Mrs. Hawkins walks up the road only a few blocks before climbing into a horse-drawn buggy. Sitting directly beside her is the Governor of Litudinem himself, who Mabel passionately kisses before the scene abruptly drops.
The film cuts back to its original scene. Michael sadly scans his eyes over the horizon before dipping them down to examine a newspaper at his feet. “Mabel Hawkins and Governor William Price announce their engagement” the newspaper reads. With a sudden look of confidence, Michael stands and begins walking towards the fast approaching soldiers. The leader of the soldiers, surprised by the carpenter’s apparent eagerness to face his fate, asks them to hold their position several yards behind him before walking up to Michael alone. The captain then proceeds to mock Michael for his naivety, explaining that Mrs. Hawkins had never even once believed in the carpenter’s fanciful ideals. Ignoring the captain’s statement, Michael simply muses that history will look fondly upon the actions of those who strive for a better world. As if on cue, a huge pillar of smoke begins to rise from the city of Litudinem, which is just visible in the far off distance. Horrified, the captain shoots Michael in the head, killing him instantly.
In a post-credits scene, the body of Mrs. Hawkins is seen sprawled out on the marble floor of a collapsed manor house. The splintered remains of Michael’s once-grand cabinet set can be seen nearby.
Production and Filming
The Maximusian Civil War has been the subject of dozens of films over the years. The courage and bravery displayed during the course of the war are inspirational even to this day. With that being said, most takes on the conflict are patriotic “war-flicks” that focus more on the grisly engagements of late 1837 than the war in it’s earlier phases. Mathew Bradley, the director of Sawdust, wished to break the mold by making a film that depicted the life of a common man living at the very beginning of the war. His film focused not on the quasi-deified “heroes” of the war, but on the “normal” people who made the war possible in the first place. While there is no historical basis for the characters of Sawdust, Peter was likely inspired by James Pearson (1799-1837), a militia leader who is credited with orchestrating the first uprising in Litudinem (depicted at the end of the film).
Sawdust
Release Information
Released - June 30th, 2019 (LOM) and July 10th, 2019 (IDU)
Language - English
Run time - 104 minutes
Directed by Mathew Bradley
Staring James Greenheart as Michael
Synopsis
Set in the months leading up to the Maximusian Civil War (Winter of 1836-1837), Sawdust opens on a muddy farm located just outside of Litudinem. Michael (James Greenheart), a young carpenter, sits silently on his rickety porch, eyes lazily scanning the horizon. Off in the distance, a group of soldiers can be seen setting fire to a small home. As the building goes up in flames, the soldiers move their attention to an old man who has been tied to a fence post. They taunt and jeer at the old man for a few seconds before one of the soldiers unceremoniously guns him down. Laughing maniacally, the soldiers turn to face Michael.
The film then jumps back a few weeks. Michael leads a fairly ordinary life as a carpenter, spending most of his time working diligently on a set of cabinets for a wealthy Litudinem socialite, Mabel Hawkins. Mrs. Hawkins visits the young carpenter every day to check on his progress. During one of their meetings, Mabel expresses her disdain for the local governor, finding him to be a corrupt and cruel figure. Knowing that speaking ill of local officials is a punishable offense, Michael simply shrugs the comment off and returns to his work.
That evening, Michael runs into an old friend, Peter, at the local pub. Looking quite distressed, Peter asks Michael if he can store several crates in the shed behind Michael’s store. The carpenter initially rejects his friend’s request after Peter refuses to tell Michael what is in the crates. After a heated discussion, Michael ultimately agrees to store the crates for 24 hours but vows to turn the containers over to local authorities if they are not picked up before that time. Peter thanks Michael and the two part ways.
On his way home from the pub, Michael is assaulted by two soldiers. They beat the young man violently, steal his wallet, and leave him, bleeding and injured, on the side of the road. A defeated Michael slowly limps home.
The next morning, seeing Michael visibly wounded, Mrs. Hawkins inquires about his injuries. Michael explains the entire event to the socialite and sadly acknowledges that the soldiers who beat him will never be punished for their crime. Continuing from where she left off the day prior, Mrs. Hawkins tells Michael that she believes the entire political system must be rebuilt from the ground up. Michael agrees with the woman and the two happily consider what life would be like if the current regime was removed from power. The pair are snapped out of their fanciful daydream when a young man enters the store, prompting Mrs. Hawkins to begin her walk home. The man attempts to retrieve Peter’s crate but is stoped by Michael, who asks the young man to describe the contents of the package. Clearly believing that Michael knew what was in the crates and was just testing him, the young man states that the crates contain 25 rifles, all intended for use by the local militia. Quickly realizing that Michael was not a member of the local militia, the young man attempts to stab him but is stopped by Peter, who enters the shop and disarms his compatriot at the last minute.
The trio return to the pub where Peter explains that the local militia is planning to stage an uprising in downtown Litudinem. Peter, who is revealed to be one of the militia’s primary coordinators, implores Michael to join the group and aid him in the upcoming attack. Michael politely declines, believing that resistance against the local authorities is an act of futility. As he gets up to leave, the young carpenter recalls his conversations with Mrs. Hawkins. Inspired by the woman’s words, Michael decides to allow the militia to store their arms and ammunition in his shed.
That night, in an oddly euphoric state, Michael locks himself in his workshop and completes Mrs. Hawkins's cabinet set, a task that should have taken several more days. Mabel Hawkins, upon seeing his completed work the next morning, pays the carpenter twice their agreed-upon amount and tells Michael that the cabinets are the finest set she has ever seen. Having enjoyed her company greatly, Micheal confesses to Mrs. Hawkins that his burst of energy was the direct result of joining a cause bigger than himself. Upon further prompting by Mabel Hawkins, Michael explains that, following their discussion the day prior, he had agreed to aid the local militia in their efforts to topple the governor from power. A seemingly elated Mrs. Hawkins encourages Michael to do all he can for the militia and leaves the shop.
Unbeknownst to Michael, Mrs. Hawkins walks up the road only a few blocks before climbing into a horse-drawn buggy. Sitting directly beside her is the Governor of Litudinem himself, who Mabel passionately kisses before the scene abruptly drops.
The film cuts back to its original scene. Michael sadly scans his eyes over the horizon before dipping them down to examine a newspaper at his feet. “Mabel Hawkins and Governor William Price announce their engagement” the newspaper reads. With a sudden look of confidence, Michael stands and begins walking towards the fast approaching soldiers. The leader of the soldiers, surprised by the carpenter’s apparent eagerness to face his fate, asks them to hold their position several yards behind him before walking up to Michael alone. The captain then proceeds to mock Michael for his naivety, explaining that Mrs. Hawkins had never even once believed in the carpenter’s fanciful ideals. Ignoring the captain’s statement, Michael simply muses that history will look fondly upon the actions of those who strive for a better world. As if on cue, a huge pillar of smoke begins to rise from the city of Litudinem, which is just visible in the far off distance. Horrified, the captain shoots Michael in the head, killing him instantly.
In a post-credits scene, the body of Mrs. Hawkins is seen sprawled out on the marble floor of a collapsed manor house. The splintered remains of Michael’s once-grand cabinet set can be seen nearby.
Production and Filming
The Maximusian Civil War has been the subject of dozens of films over the years. The courage and bravery displayed during the course of the war are inspirational even to this day. With that being said, most takes on the conflict are patriotic “war-flicks” that focus more on the grisly engagements of late 1837 than the war in it’s earlier phases. Mathew Bradley, the director of Sawdust, wished to break the mold by making a film that depicted the life of a common man living at the very beginning of the war. His film focused not on the quasi-deified “heroes” of the war, but on the “normal” people who made the war possible in the first place. While there is no historical basis for the characters of Sawdust, Peter was likely inspired by James Pearson (1799-1837), a militia leader who is credited with orchestrating the first uprising in Litudinem (depicted at the end of the film).