Sinister clowns. Mysticism. Possible existential collapse. Yup, that’s definitely an Alan Moore project.
The comic writer and occasional curmudgeon’s current outing is the short film series Show Pieces along with collaborator Mitch Jenkins. “His Heavy Heart” – whose trailer you can see below – is one of five shorts being packaged as Moore’s first work written specifically for the screen.
It’s an interconnected set of stories by Moore and Jenkins, set in the town of Northampton, being described as “an occult noir thriller starring Siobhan Hewlett, Darrell D’Silva and Andrew Buckley. Alan Moore also appears playing a small but important part in the story.”
Moore’s name on a film project feels weird after his years of contentious battles with Hollywood over the use of his comics works. He’s been resistant to the adaptation or adulteration of those properties and typically disavows any credit or profits whenever a new one is announced. So seeing Moore behind (and in front of) the camera should be a treat.
You can find the synopses of the other four films below:
“Act Of Faith: Faith Harrington, a young female reporter on a local newspaper who has an exotic private life, prepares for a stimulating evening at home that doesnât go according to plan.
Upon Reflection: Details Faith Harringtonâs first bewildered arrival at the peculiar working menâs club immediately after the event that concludes Act of Faith, all captured in a fixed security mirror above a clubâs oddly anachronistic lounge bar.
Jimmyâs End: Louche and hard-drinking womaniser James Mitchum finds himself wandering into one strange bar too many. Watch the trailer.
A Professional Relationship: Explores the peculiar relationship between the clubâs two managers.”