Dummy

When their mother dies, Danny loses himself in music, sex and drugs, his younger brother Jack takes action transforming, with the help of some make up and his mothers old clothes, a life size mannequin into a brand new mummy for him to talk to. Jack’s obsession with this new member of the family leads to both comic misunderstandings and bitter antagonism as the pair battle through grief, anger and denial. "But what makes the film so good is that Thompson never allows this obsessive behaviour to tip over into the Gothic. The script just about convinces as to why social services leave the boys alone; but once you accept that, the film’s treatment of their summer alone together is entirely convincing. So, too, is the surprise ending, which reveals Jack’s strength and the extent to which Danny has repressed his emotions. The winner of the BBC’s New Film-maker’s Award in 2003 with his short film, Gone, Thompson reveals himself to be a film-maker of promise." (Nick Roddick, in: The Standard)