Skins and Poldark Actor Alex Arnold Releases Trailer for his Narrative Short Film Debut ‘11+’
By Molly Lipson
Alex Arnold’s short film explores themes of growing up, fear of change, and the tension between childhood dreams and adult realities.
Set in Ashford in the early noughties, 11+ centres on best friends Louis and Jordan in the summer following their 11+ exam as they transition out of primary school.
On his motivation for making the film Arnold has said: “I’ve been wanting to write and direct for a while and having the opportunity to make a short film that’s specific and personal to me has definitely given me another way of understanding storytelling more fully, not just from interpreting someone else’s story but shaping my own.
“What started out as a conversation between two friends attempting to trade Pokémon – and this being the most important thing in the world to them – slowly began to reveal more memories and emotions. Suddenly a conversation about the 11+ surfaced.
“The 11+ exam is a very pressured time; you’re praying you get to go to the same secondary school as your friends. It also feels like your level of intelligence is being tested and you’re only 10 or so years old. It’s when I was first told I was dyslexic.
“So many of my memories from that time are saturated by the types of TV shows from the early 00s. With this short being set in 2002, I thought it would be an interesting choice to channel that into this story. I’m glad our DOP Adam Barnett was enthusiastic about using the DV format. He’s captured such a warm and nostalgic look that’s absolutely perfect. We cast two local kids Francis and Junaid, and it was a real privilege seeing them transform into their roles and watch them build such a natural chemistry on screen,” he says.
11+ is Associate Produced by BAFTA-winning actor Bobby Lockwood (The House of Anubis, Wolfblood) and produced by Augusta Woods (Sister Wives), who said about the project:
“The reason I was so drawn to Alex's script is due to my insecurities surrounding learning difficulties in school. Although not officially diagnosed, I was offered extra time in exams and taken out of regular classes to be tutored in smaller groups for kids that need specialist support. I always felt unintelligent in school because I wasn't good at the academic subjects, whereas I found my skills in art and drama. I always remember my maths teacher saying to me, "You're not going to get anywhere drawing pretty pictures Gussy." I thought Alex brilliantly summarised these insecurities that a lot of kids have, particularly in school, in a really nuanced way through Louis's eccentricity and comedy which overcompensate for his struggles in academia.”
The film was awarded Arts Council funding with Screen South based in Ashford. It was shot on tape and digitalised to create a grainy, early 2000s effect. It has so far been selected for San Diego Short Film Festival.
You can watch the official trailer for 11+ here.
