The sins of the father must be paid for by the son.
Mabel is gothic-style tale in the vein of Stoker, Shelley (both Mary and Percy) and their contemporaries, set in contemporary times in rural NSW. Ben, a family man appears to be escaping the city to his childhood home in the bush, after the collapse of his marriage. When he get's there, a woman, Mabel, who claims to be his sister's childhood friend, is already inhabiting the abandoned property. What ensues is chilling unravelling of family secrets as she systematically taunts Ben with his own guilt and shame until everything he's been running from is revealed. Neither Ben or Mabel are who they seem, and both are connected in ways he couldn't have imagined.
The film is inspired (loosely) by a true story, family rumour and a the mass consumption of Gothic literature during the writer's childhood.
Directed by Jacinta Lai Produced and Written By Lauren Orrell
Shooting June/ July 2017 on location in NSW
Visual and Story References
A style heavily influenced by Australian photographic master, Bill Henson. Filmic infusions of Lars Von Trier's 'Antichrist' and Meloncholia, Jonathan Glazer's 'Under the Skin', and Kim Farrant's, 'Strangerland' to name a few.