In case you were unaware until now, Karen Gillan is an exceptionally talented person; not only is she now used to appearing in blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, but she’s also now a screenwriter and director! Her new film, The Party’s Just Beginning, was actually started on the tail-end of Doctor Who.
Karen, of course, played Amy Pond regularly between 2010 and 2012 (opposite Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor), and in a recent interview about The Party’s Just Beginning, she said:
“Well, I started writing this film about six years ago, and it’s the first screenplay I’ve ever written, and so over the years, I’ve kind of like had to edit it – all the sort of young rantings that are just quite sort of philosophical and maybe quite immature – I got rid of those, thankfully. And it took I took probably five years to get financing…. Finally, someone took a chance on us.”
Though we don’t know exactly when she began, based on this, it seems likely it was as she was approaching her
The film focuses on male suicide in Scotland, and Gillan further revealed the surprising inspiration for this:
“The whole story is based on a statistic I read that the suicide rate in the Highlands of Scotland are significantly higher among young men than in the rest of Scotland. I was like, ‘That’s a strange statistic’, because I grew up there and it’s so idyllic and picturesque and beautiful. Why do we have this dark fact looming over us?”
Despite being financed by an American company, Mt. Hollywood Films, The Party’s Just Beginning is set entirely in Scotland – indeed, it was shot in Karen’s hometown of Inverness.
Here’s the synopsis:
Karen Gillan’s first feature as writer/director is fiercely honest as it tumbles between abrasive humour and tender-hearted humanity. In a bleak Inverness midwinter, Lucy (Gillan) is careering off the rails after the suicide of her best friend. She medicates her misery with joyless sex, chips and a belief in the power of positive drinking. Surrounded by bittersweet memories, she struggles to find someone to talk to or some reason to make life worthwhile at the most stressful time of the year. A poignant, plaintive tale of loss, grief and survivor’s guilt with a terrific ensemble cast.
The Party’s Just Beginning debuted as part of the 2018 Glasgow Film Festival in February, to rave reviews. We’ll keep you updated if and when we hear about any potential theatrical release date.
