Spears is a new Irish thriller from director Gerard Lough. Shot across four separate countries, the independent production is Lough’s most ambitious project to date and has a larger scope than his debut feature horror, Night People (2015).
Originally filming in Donegal, the film went on to shoot on location across Florence, Berlin and London, between 2018 and 2020. Halted by the pandemic, the film creator has patiently waited for the opportunity to bring the film to cinemas audiences safely. "There is nothing like seeing your work on the big screen, so we are all delighted that initial audiences will get to experience Spears exactly as we intended," says Lough.
Packed with twists and turns, Spears follows three men who are forced to team up back in Ireland after they each make a startling discovery, which leads them to take revenge on those who have wronged them.
The plot kicks off when a Private Investigator is sent from Ireland to Italy to track down a woman who mysteriously vanished there. Meanwhile in England, a dissident republican does an arm's deal with a new seller he does not trust. In Germany, a scam artist spends a weekend with a married woman, who he tries to convince to leave with him. Each of the three men make a startling discovery, which forces them to team up back in Ireland and take revenge on those who have wronged them.
Irish actor Aidan O'Sullivan (Night People) leads a diverse cast of exciting newcomers which includes Michael Parle, Yalda Shahidi, Rebecca Rose Flynn, Nigel Brennan, Bobby Calloway and Thomas Sharkey. "The cast of Spears were the best I have ever worked with,” says Lough. “Each of the seven principal actors are potential break out stars and I have no doubt we are going to be seeing more of them on screen in the years to come. After a preview screening, their performances were one of the most talked about aspects of the film. That.... and how many drones appear in it!"
The film promises to be a stylish looking affair with tension and fear in abundance, but trust in short supply. Something the director believes is typical of the Neo Noir genre and underrepresented in Irish cinema. "We're all used to Nordic Noir. Given most of this story takes place in Donegal, maybe this could be the first in a long line of North West Noir!" says Lough.
The film’s title is taken from the Emily Bronte quote; “treachery and violence are spears pointed by both ends; they wound those who resort to them worse than their enemies.”
As well as the gadgets and exotic locations, the film also highlight some impressive new Irish and British electronica artists with music from Shaefri, Sleep Thieves, Le Groupe Fantastique and Exit: Pursued by a Bear, who's song Rabbit with Hat is featured on the new trailer. Lough rates the song, "as one of the best pieces of electronic music ever released by an Irish band.”
The director said that the new trailer proved a challenge as it had to give audiences a clear idea of what the film is about, while not giving away its biggest plot twist. "It's a common complaint of modern trailers that they give away far too much,” says Lough. “With this trailer we have held back the film's biggest surprises and retained the mystery while still giving an audience the essence of the story. It's a tricky balance but I think we've nailed it."
Spears will be showing at selected cinemas in Ireland from February 18th.
