The Greyness of Autumn (2012)

The Greyness of Autumn follows the final days of the life of Danny McGuire, an ostrich living in Scotland. Danny's life is suddenly turned upside down when he loses his job and his girlfriend in the same day.

Director:

Chris Quick

Writers:

Andy S. McEwan, Chris Quick

Stars:

Duncan Airlie James, Amy Ebbutt, Steven Patrick

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Duncan Airlie James	...	Danny McGuire (voice)
Amy Ebbutt	...	Katie (as Amy E Watson)
Steven Patrick	...	Mr. Jenkins
Chris Quick	...	Nelson (voice)
Andrew O'Donnell	...	Jimmy Guinness
Neil Francis	...	Barry
Euan Cuthbertson	...	The Interviewer
David Marshall	...	Kyle
David R. Montgomery	...	Restaurant Manager
Dave Cullen-Wills	...	The Mugger
Tom Moriarty	...	Mr. Harrison
Andy S. McEwan	...	Office Worker

Storyline

The Greyness of Autumn follows the final days of the life of Danny McGuire, an ostrich living in Scotland. Danny's life is suddenly turned upside down when he loses his job and his girlfriend in the same day. As Danny struggles to reinvent himself in a society that treat him as a second class citizen, he questions whether there is much point living in a world that will never see past the feathers.

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Plot Keywords:

ostrich | self sacrifice | social injustice | flashback | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | 

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The majority of the filming took place in November/December 2012 at the end of the autumn season. The crew spent a couple of days trying to find shots of trees which weren't dead.

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Goofs

The film is meant to be set during the autumn but the mugger is dressed in winter clothing

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Quotes

Danny McGuire: Jesus Christ, first my job now this. Do you not think my balls have been booted enought today.

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Connections

Followed by Autumn Never Dies (2020)

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Soundtracks

One Good Reason
Performed by Alan Tennie
Music by Alan Tennie
Lyrics by Alan Tennie
Produced by Alan Tennie Music

User Reviews

A Unique Persepctive Into the Troubled Life of Danny McGuire

Danny McGuire is a peculiar person similar to the comic styling of Louie CK. The short film is narrated by him and it progresses through the troubles in his life going from bad to worse. I was expecting to hear the sad tale of a man who no longer fit into society. Much to my surprise I saw a sock puppet with a beak. Then I saw another puppet; a monkey with a particular fetish for cornflakes and soft core porn. Just the addition of these two elements changed the drama to a comedy; a black comedy with a delicious taste of sarcasm. Suddenly the dialogue was different. The comments Danny made about his life although dreary and morose seemed comical. The situations turned from bad to worse; all because of the addition of a puppet. I don't know if it is the stigma of society that when we see a puppet, no matter how depressing things are, there is always a bright side of life.

Such a strong message is portrayed by brilliant writer and director Chris Quick. The integration of cinematic elements and the comedic use of puppets also reminds me of Seth McFarlane's Ted. The comedic genius of the dialog from both Chris Quick and Andy S. McEwan address the social commentary about the human condition and the power of perception. Despite its low budget feel, the laughs contained in the dialog will only have you wanting more. I am looking forward to the next project from this team.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 December 2012 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP250 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quick Off The Mark Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

14 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD