From Myths Come Man’s Creativity: My Interview With “Lords Of Tears” Director Lawrie Brewster

Scottish director Lawrie Brewster is a man driven by passion for exploring life’s inexplicable covariance through the camera lens and story telling. In his new project “Lord Of Tears” the young Scot ventures into realms of theology, legend and metaphysical causation all within the deep, emotionally charged guise of a gothic romance. The film tells the story of of James Findlay, a school teacher tortured by childhood memories of a strange and unsettling entity - a figure dressed like a Victorian gentleman but with the head of an Owl, and elongated limbs with sharp claws. Suspecting that his visions are linked to a dark incident in his past, James returns to his childhood home, a notorious mansion in the Scottish Highlands, where he uncovers the disturbing truth behind his dreams, and must fight to survive the brutal consequences of his curiosity.

This story also delves into the construct of relationship and devotion to love that can push one to face all fears, personal turmoil in order to keep and protect that which is held dearest. That is the deeper aspects of this very haunting dark tale born in the Highlands of Scotland, created in the mind of an intuit soul such as Lawrie Brewster, the more surface base of this story is one of nightmare and terror that builds in the mind of a man who begs to be freed from the sinister “plague” of spirit. In my interview with Brewster I learned just how complex and intense the thought and passion stands in his goal to bring so many creative aspects into this film. “Lord Of Tears” has also launched a Kickstarter Page for crowd funding which you should check out after you read the interview. Now here is that interview.

ASouthernLife: Lord Of Tears is based on an ancient myth, Tell me more about the mythology behind the story?
Lawrie Brewster: Oh now I must be careful answering this - in view of spoilers! There were in ancient Celtic history, cults that kept the heads of their enemies - believing that in doing so, they could control their spirit. According to historical records, this cult worshipped an owl creature. So that's one strand that comes into play. We also draw from the ancient religion of Carthage, the evolution of Paganism and the post modern 21st century materialist desire to attain anything we want with a false sense of online immortality. You can guess that altogether they might form a formidable cocktail. Apart from Celtic and divine depiction there have also been modern urban legends including the Cornish Owlman. Ours is a fusion of these elements, combined with my own background (as a student of ancient history/theology) at St. Andrews and an amateur researcher of all things profound and bizarre.

ASouthernLife: How did the script come about for Lord Of Tears beyond the mythological influence, where there any other influences?
Lawrie Brewster: There was an unusual personal experience! Apart from that the influences included books such as Wuthering Heights, the short stories of Henry James, M R James and of course the weird fiction of HP Lovecraft. Cinematic influences came too, from classic British chiller cinema. The chiller is rather a quintessentially British sub-genre of supernatural thriller - one that has come and gone over time - but was most notably exemplified by films such as The Haunting and The Innocents. I wanted to instill that same sense of dread but to do so with a genuine story, with characters you care about (rather than pitch a fairground superficial thrill ride!) Thrills are important - but with story - you can attempt something that lingers so much longer.

In terms of art, I have grown up in a country where Pagan and historical influences are everywhere, just where I live is a cave nearby with a convent over it, inside are signs and symbols of Christianity etched into the stone centuries old. Beside them pagan symbols of the sun some millennia's older. While modernity paints over these ancient influences, they can still permeate and influence things (as they have done me with this horror film.)

ASouthernLife:  Who is the Owlman - was he some one you grew up hearing about in legends?
Lawrie Brewster: Authenticity is very important to me - that does not mean literal truth or accuracy, but the feeling that something is rooted in a reality (even a relative one.) So for example with the Owlman, he existed quite literally as a deity of ancient religions, but in the Scottish context, more as a legend similar to the Cornish Man. The idea of animal anthropomorphic depiction (with stalkers/creatures) is not uncommon in ancient Pagan depiction (thus the creatures have characteristics oft prescribed to their animal counterparts.) This is half of the Owlman - the other, more sophisticated darker side comes from other sources. It is a rendition of a type of creature more common to the folklore of a century or two ago - but with this darker fuller (alien) presence. The story in our film reveals these qualities in not just him but other characters as it twists and turns.

ASouthernLife:  The creature design for the Owlman is pretty impressive, who designed the concept for the creature?
Lawrie Brewster: The concept came about from a personal experience that was somewhat unsettling. This consisted of me seeing a figure standing at the end of a large lawn (expansive from the front of an estate) wearing what appeared to be a crude animal mask made of cloth - with what appeared to be large eyes. It stood alone - and was dressed smartly like our own creature (and naturally enough it was probably someone dressed for some bizarre occasion.) Never the less he stood alone, staring back at me and walked away into the trees! And that was that - not necessarily supernatural - but as an influence it stuck with me. Why not take that crude mask and make it real - more real than in my imagination, and add to it the mythos and lore founded on (the aforementioned sources.) So that is where the concept came from, the creature was physically designed by artist Angela Allan, with concepts illustrated by Gavin Robertson (included in the zip links).

ASouthernLife:  The locations for the film are scenic and serene, how was it shooting in such peaceful countryside?
Lawrie Brewster: The Scottish countryside (in the highlands) is barely describable as countryside. Its like an alien planet - of ancient hills and flat plains of jagged rocks! I sometimes think of the landscape of New Zealand and imagine it as the world at its youngest - well, Scotland’s Highlands - is the world at its oldest - and it is an unforgiving old man. The mists, moors, rain and sleet - micro climates wherever you go, and of course beautiful wildlife (deer, owls, birds of prey of all types) are everywhere wandering about. It is an extremely difficult place to film outside, nature throws everything at you - and we just took whatever it gave us. Incredible scenery to sometimes behold on the screen (but horrendous to shoot in - in person haha.)

ASouthernLife: It kind of sets a strong contrast to the very non-peaceful story you are creating. Was that intentional?
Lawrie Brewster: Well, the depiction is initially peaceful - and in the trailer we see the flat lands immediately outside the mansion - but as it goes on, you actually see in real time, storm clouds moving towards our characters as they speak outside - rain battering on them - all kinds of chaos. The story is a Gothic romance, and of course an emotional romance is part of that. You see the relationship between Evie (Lexy Hulme) and James (Euan Douglas) create what feels like an eye around a gathering storm - that is the juxtaposition which lingers longer (against our stormy weather) than the initial natural calm - but it is at times an illusion also.

ASouthernLife: The film deals with nightmares and this sort of "boogeyman", did you have a lot of nightmares growing up and was there a "boogeyman" that you feared?
Lawrie Brewster: Yes! Of course we all have them - elements of our subconscious brought into reality by either our imagination or some truth in the metaphysical realm we crudely dismiss! While there were not specific boogeymen that I feared, I think the horrors it expresses (and their complexity) are so real, that the creature might as well exist. Fear of losing yourself - to death/ to madness/ the ones you love - and the lengths you will go to preserve them? How far will you go? That is a question that forms the intellectual heart of our film... and of course how far those wishing to achieve the opposite will go too...

ASouthernLife:  In your experiences with the supernatural or paranormal does any particular one stand out in your memory?
Lawrie Brewster: (Yes - in the above) but to add to that. We live in a day where rationalism has been hijacked from its philosophical roots to stand for a kind of Calvinist black and white interpretation of reality - of true and false, of no shades of grey. I think existence and reality proves as a matter of routine just how relative and limited our ability to understand or even perceive its complexities really are. That isn't to say I value ignorance or mystery over discovery (as an artist that is my mission - to explore) but - I do think in a universe that scientists claim is infinite - with infinite numbers of them, dimensions and parallel universes at that - that the possibility of transcendent existence - of what we might call ghosts or whatever, is plausible if not likely. I think it's more plausible than the labeling of ingredients in popcorn chicken!

ASouthernLife: Lord Of Tears is your second feature as director, have you always wanted to be a director?
Lawrie Brewster: Yes! When I was doing an exam at university I sat outside the hall. There beside me was an American student (St. Andrews University) who was going on about his trials and tribulations making a short film to a friend. During the course of overhearing this conversation (just some five minutes long) I realized, that deep down in my heart, I had very successfully repressed an urge to be creative (instead of exclusively academic!) After the exam I left to study acting and then onto TV & Production, before going onto Film at Napier University. I now work full time as a director and a producer (unfortunately any independent director has to be relatively successful in both vocations). Success of course not being determined by how rich you are in doing so - but by how sustainable your work is (getting by, being able to survive to produce more films, and to be able to enjoy and share these opportunities with others passionate about telling stories - be it as writers, camera men, vfx whatever!)

ASouthernLife: Who are some of your favorite directors?
Lawrie Brewster: Akira Kurosowa for films Ikiru, Redbeard and Seven Samurai. Ken Russell for The Devils, and The Music Lovers. Miranda July is brilliant, and I liked Elisabeth Fies and Signe Olynyk's new films Commune and Below Zero respectively (as new horror films!) Oh let's see who else... John Carpenter, Hideo Nakata and Bernard Rose! There are plenty - I could barely begin to list them all! I'll already be sat here cursing myself for not saying this or that chap or lady!