Breaking news from the world of independent cinema: Ben Rivers has just dropped a bombshell with his latest film 'Mare's Nest', an audacious adaptation born from a chance encounter with literary legend Don DeLillo. This is not your average collaboration – think David Bowie and Iggy Pop jamming together in the studio, but instead, two creative titans from different worlds coming together in a fusion of art and literature.
The seeds of this cinematic revolution were sown when Rivers, a lifelong admirer of DeLillo's work, received an unexpected hand-typed letter from the reclusive author in 2017. This initial correspondence blossomed into a series of exchanges that culminated in DeLillo granting Rivers his blessing to adapt his one-act play 'The Word for Snow'.
Rivers was undaunted by DeLillo's reservations about the play's cinematic potential, instead seeing it as an opportunity to put his unique spin on the material. His bold vision? To place the often cryptic dialogue in the mouths of nine-year-old girls – a masterstroke that adds a whole new layer of depth to this thought-provoking narrative.
'Mare's Nest' is more than just an adaptation, though; it's a radical reimagining of DeLillo's play within a larger, original story. We follow Moon, a young girl navigating a post-apocalyptic landscape where adults have mysteriously vanished – and in their place, children are forging new paths and creating their own rituals.
This is Rivers' territory: experimental storytelling that often defies conventional narrative structures. With his distinctive filmmaking style, which favours evocative imagery and mystery over traditional plotting, 'Mare's Nest' promises to be a cinematic experience like no other. Shot on grainy 16mm film across diverse locations, including Menorca, Snowdonia, and a London studio, this is a true masterpiece in the making.
The film draws inspiration from multiple literary sources – think Don DeLillo meets Daisy Hildyard and Fernando Pessoa in an artistic fusion of styles. With lead actor Moon Guo Barker at its centre, 'Mare's Nest' offers a fresh take on societal collapse and reconstruction, one that moves beyond the typical dystopian tropes to explore a world where children are not just survivors but also the architects of their own destiny.