by Dov Kornits
The beautifully shot 20 minute short follows Joy (Deborah Kennedy) and Murray (Bruce Spence) as a long-married couple in the midst of a mundane existence in the burbs when Murray starts behaving irrationally. His actions lead to catharsis, and a discovery that will inform their lives forever.
We spoke with one half of writing/directing team Perry Brothers, Shaun, who worked with twin brother Jay on the film.
Can you discuss the true story inspiration for the film?
“When Jay and I were kids growing up in Mt Dandenong, we lived next door to a retired police officer. He was a chain smoking, armchair philosopher type, always jovial and up for a chat, and he became quick friends with our parents. He eventually shared a story related to his days patrolling in St Kilda in the 1970s, and it’s something that always stuck with us. It sort of touches on the dark history of Melbourne.”
How do you and Jay work together? Could you ever imagine working separately?
“We are identical twins, which is something that we have always kind of battled since we were kids. Some twins try to foster that ‘sameness’, but we have always fought for our individual identities. I think that comes out in how we work creatively too. Thankfully we are quite different, whereas I am more free-flowing or chaotic, and approach writing and filmmaking with a broad brush, Jay comes at it methodically and detail oriented. We compensate for each other. We also have the luxury of a 31 year built shorthand, so we can get to the brass-tacks of an idea relatively quickly.
“In regards to working separately, we have done this in the past. Jay made his first short film, Obsolete, back in 2015 without me. I was still studying at Swinburne at the time. That film managed to garner quite a bit of success, winning some awards internationally. I think our approaches tend to complement each other for the moment, resulting in our best work, but I wouldn’t rule it out. We’re always open to new challenges and ways to foster personal growth.”
“Were Deborah Kennedy and Bruce Spence your first choices for the leads? How did you cast the film? What did Bruce and Deborah bring to their roles?
“We thankfully had the opportunity to work with casting director Will Pearce, CGA from Mcgregors Casting on this one, which was an incredible experience. Due to the nuances of the characters, particularly Murray, we were aware from the very beginning that we needed our two leads to have that rare ability to balance comedy with some of the heavier aspects of the story. There were a few names discussed, but we were drawn to Bruce Spence as we had grown up watching so many of his eclectic roles. Whether it be the comic relief in Mad Max 2 or the grizzled Australian henchman in Ace Ventura When Nature Calls – this role we found quite memorable as kids – it was the first time we’d heard the Australian accent in an international film. Bruce ultimately seems to be able to provide an odd likability despite whatever character he plays. When we first met him, it was immediately apparent that he understood the role and knew exactly how we were approaching the story. He brought so much warmth and wisdom to the shoot, particularly as my brother and I are still learning as filmmakers. He was so generous with his time, offering up a plenitude of stories and filmmaking tips and tricks.
“Deborah Kennedy is another one, I can recall seeing her in The Sum of Us when I was a kid. I was watching it with my dad on a late Saturday night – such strong performances by Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson, and her’s in particular was so tragic. When we had our first zoom call with Deborah, we immediately knew she was the perfect ‘Joy’. In fact, I was so struck by her that when she asked Jay and I ‘who was who’ – I stumbled over myself and said my name was Jay. It was very humbling! But she just has such a tremendous presence. During filming, we had so many cast and crew members approach us in genuine awe of her. We were really very fortunate to work with her.”
What else are you (and Jay) working on?
“As mentioned, we’re developing Joel and Aubrey, a feature-length crime drama which is semi-inspired by our parents’ own experiences with abuse, and the different ways they coped with it. We’re looking forward to working on it during the MIFF Accelerator Lab, and will also be bringing it to the MIFF 37 Degrees South Market in August.
“We’re working on a new short film dramedy that explores a father/son relationship and the deterministic paths that tend to unspool as a consequence of family and class-culture.
“Jay has also finished writing a dark comedy feature This Is All We Are, which is similar in tone to their previous short film The Intentions of F. Scott Fitzgerald with inspiration from Fargo and the HBO TV series Barry. Other than that, we work in a freelance capacity as videographer/screenwriters for various content creation companies, as well as running our own production company, Howling Jack Films.
Cold Water screens at the 2024 St Kilda Film Festival on 10 June 2024
