Cinema release in selected home cinemas on 14 October 2011, Blu-ray/DVD release on 17 October 2011, and general release soon after of debut director Carl Tibbetts’ Retreat, look set to draw a large audience for a screenplay co-written by a university student.
Acclaim for Retreat has grown as the quality of the three stars, blended with unique aspects of the movie’s creation are recognised, and those stars have nothing but praise for the quality of the script. Starring in what Tibbet described to Robert Beames at What Culture as a 'claustrophobic psychological suspense thriller' are Cillian Murphy, Thandie Newton, and Jamie Bell, all box office bankers in contrast to the rumoured low budget for this independent production.
Success for screenwriting student
MA student Janice Hallet became involved in the project when she answered Tibbetts’ advertisement for a writer to assist with the screenplay. Hallet applied, using as an example the script that she was developing as part of her assessment for the qualification of MA in Screenwriting for Television and Film at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Tibbetts had already devised the story, the characters, and written an early draft of the script for Retreat, so Hallet’s task was to develop a final one-hundred-page product that would attract investors.
“I was brought on board to re-write that and help develop what was there into a workable script and one that would attract the attention of the industry,” Hallet says. “I continued to work on it with Carl for the next three years until filming started.”
She was not hands-on during the filmmaking process: “I visited the set in Wales for a day during filming but that was it until I saw the finished film at a crew screening.”
Celtic location for isolated island setting
The cast reputedly enjoyed working with Tebbitts as the writer as well as director of the film, because the plot is so character driven. The three characters, a husband and wife trying to rescue their relationship, and mystery man Bell, are trapped on an isolated island and eventually are driven to destruction by their inability to trust one another.
The film is produced by award-winning Gary Sinyor (of Leon the Pig Farmer fame) and television entrepreneur, Sir David Frost OBE, Fellow of BAFTA and winner of a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award. Filming took place in Gwynneth, Wales, in and around the home of one of the producers, using the Cambrian scenery as a substitute for the Scottish location in the screenplay.
Hallet, who changed careers from journalism and advertising when she successfully completed her Masters degree, continues to work full time as a screenwriter.
Valerie Williamson - Dr. Val Williamson is a freelance journalist and academic specialising in historical and popular culture topics.
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