Still Life

Ron had no life until Mandy lit it up. A middle aged depressive finds himself embroiled in the affairs of an erratic life model when his son encourages him to take art classes at a night college. As he gets dragged into her chaotic life he is forced to confront his own stasis.

Still Life is a film about a man's re-birth. When we first meet Ron he is in a state of numbness and disaffection. His wife has left him and he is unable to work due to an injury which has turned into a chronic pain problem. Ron finds it hard just to get out of bed. His sense of purpose in life has been destroyed and his life is maintained only through the pushing insistence of his son and a deceptively colourful cocktail of pills.

The logical and 'correct' paths towards a better life don't interest Ron. His soul is rebellious. Reluctantly agreeing to take night classes in drawing Ron meets Mandy a careless and exhibitionist life model. Her irreverence and unpredictability reach out to Ron's destructive and passionate side. After his cocoonment in pills and safety the sudden risk engendered by this reckless character appeals to him. He offers her a lift and when she is thrown out of her house he offers her a place to stay.

Marcus is worried about his father's sudden interest in this wild and restless young girl but this only further fuels Ron's desire to form some kind of relationship with her. Ron is intrigued and obsessed with Mandy. Driven by an increasing sense of recklessness and rebellion Ron agrees to go back to Mandy's old house and reclaim what she says is hers. At the house Ron is challenged to turn the relationship into a sexual connection.