Wonder
26 minute short Wonder will be the second of Daukes’ films to premiere at Raindance (his feature Acts of Godfrey made its debut there in 2011).
Raindance founder Elliot Grove explains; "It was my pleasure to read the first draft of Wonder and immediately I knew it was a Raindance film. Johnny is one of the reasons independent filmmaking in the UK is alive and well!"
The film takes place over one night and uncovers the tensions and truths behind four relationships. As morning breaks, one person from each couple is brought together in circumstances that threaten to tear them apart forever.
The cast gave their time freely and were all attracted by the quality and emotional honesty of the script.
Henry Goodman and Diana Hardcastle play Simon and Celia, an art dealer and his serially overlooked wife. Diana says of her role: "When you get sent a script that's this good, you know you have to be a part of it.
"The writing came off the page effortlessly, the characters were beautifully drawn and their separate stories clearly defined, yet there was an emotional complexity to it. I found it funny and very touching too".
This is the second time Daukes has chosen to work with Jay Simpson who played a lascivious and psychotic hit-man in Acts of Godfrey and in Wonder plays an opportunistic gay installation artist. "When someone has the balls to write an entire film in verse you can't help but want to be involved," says Jay.
"Wonder again, was such a great script that doing it was a no-brainer. I had a great time working on both films and look forward to whatever he's going to do next: film, album, light opera? Bloody polymaths!"
The film started life as a collection of songs that Daukes recorded over Christmas of 2011.
As the songs formed a harrowing and confessional journey through a failing relationship, a friend suggested he should make a short film to promote the record. The result is Wonder, a film in which magical, yet wistful, instrumental mixes of the songs underpin a beautifully photographed and economically written drama.
The album Wonder, which has been mixed by Mute Records producer Gareth Jones, is being released simultaneously. "I was fascinated by the atmosphere of these songs when I first heard them back in 2011," says Gareth. "To help develop them and watch them flower into a short film has been... wonderful