The Better Angels
of our Demons
by Jonathan Makowski
D E V I L W E A R S A S U I T
A SHORT FILM
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ELI MAK
PRODUCED BY GABRIELLE McLEOD AND MICHAEL WHYNTIE
Devil Wears a Suit is a confronting high-concept drama/scifi about a Jewish boy who must decide whether to ‘cure’ his homosexuality with an injection or be ostracised from his community forever.
Welcome to a world with a “cure” to homosexuality - a newly discovered injection that will instantly turn a gay person 'straight'. Religious leaders are enforcing the injection on their homosexual adherents.
As Christians, Muslims, Jews and other religious people are injected against their will, the moral implications of ‘the cure’ are debated worldwide. A young Jewish boy is set to graduate from his ultra-orthodox all-boys school, fearful about meeting his arranged wife and the expectations placed on him to become a Rabbi.
Confronted by the attraction to a boy in his class, Adam sets out to purchase ‘the cure’, but when he meets a man who has been ostracised and rejected from the Jewish community because of his homosexuality, Adam begins to open his mind to the possibility of leaving his Jewish life behind.
Adam must decide whether to inject himself and return to his structured path within the Jewish community, or remain true to his identity but lose his faith, family and friends forever.
Inspired by subversive satires like ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and the innovative merging of scifi and drama in the film ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’, ‘Devil Wears a Suit’ is a gripping, inventive, heart wrenching short film. The story is full of twists and surprises that bring an incredibly unique and insightful perspective on the enduring conflict between faith, identity and sexuality.
Written and Directed by Eli Mak
Produced by Gabrielle McLeod, Michael Whyntie
Genre: Sci-fi, Drama
Length: 20'
Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1
Language: English
Shoot Location: Melbourne, Australia
Completion Date: January 2017
Contact devilwearsasuit@gmail.com
Devil Wears a Suit is a topical and political satire exploring faith, identity and sexuality within the framework of a drama/scifi. Ultimately, the short film aims to demonstrate the sacrifices people make to belong.
Cast
Ronnen Leizerovitz
Ronnen recently finished a run with Saltpillar Theatre, having pursued theatre from a young age. Devil Wears a Suit is Ronnen's first major foray into screen acting in the lead role of Adam.
Adam is an introverted and shy teenager. With an unwavering belief in God and the teachings of the First Testament, Adam is able to quote entire passages off by heart, he is the top of his Biblical class and set to become the youngest Rabbi in his community. When confronted by new feelings towards the other male members in his class, he begins to question his faith and his role within his close-knit Jewish community.
Ben Chamravi
Ben is a recent graduate of The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. After graduating, he spent a year in New York acquiring film & TV experience and found success in a role on a primetime NBC drama.
Ben plays Jarryd, a former member of the Jewish community. Jarryd left the community after graduating from school and has pursued a life in isolation, rejected by his family and friends. After having lost the love of his life to 'the cure', he aims to convince Adam to join him in living openly and honestly.
Harry Marget
Harry is an experienced stage actor having performed Gilbert and Sullivan, Shakespeare, stand up and musical comedy.
A gifted improviser, this film offered Harry the perfect opportunity to blend his comedic and dramatic skills in the role of Dov.
Dov is Adam's father, a Rabbi and Adam's school teacher. Although not outwardly homophobic, it is the expectation of heterosexuality that he has that proves to be the most pressing and urgent force for Adam. An advocate for the ‘gay cure’, Dov wants Adam pursue a Jewish life of biblical learning and to marry his arranged wife after graduation.
The Filmmakers
Eli Mak
Writer/Director
Eli is an emerging filmmaker based in Melbourne, Australia. He has just completed his masters degree at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), where ‘Devil Wears a Suit’ was his graduating film.
Since graduating from RMIT’s Media and Communication undergraduate course, Eli has worked in film and television, with companies including Qantas, Emirates, Myer, NNT, Telstra, Sportsgirl and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Eli’s primary passion is writing and directing, and he is heavily inspired by filmmakers Stanley Kubrick, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson and the screenwriting of Charlie Kaufman.
Considering this film to be a culmination of his efforts at the VCA, he is incredibly passionate about the subject matter of the film. Experimenting with non linear structure and form, while controversially exploring both his Jewish heritage and LGBTIQ+ rights within a visually dynamic sci-fi, Eli hopes to bring a level of insight and perceptiveness to the complex themes he examines in the film. Making it no easy viewing experience, Eli’s script studies each character’s unique and justifiable motivations in a non judgemental way.
Gabrielle McLeod
Producer
Gabrielle is studying the Master's of Producing Course at VCA. Originally from Hobart, she moved to Melbourne in 2013 to study. In 2015, she produced, 'Foetal Position', winner of Best Production at VCA in 2015, People's Choice Awards and Best Film Runner Up at the Gold Coast Film Festival in 2016.
A fan of all areas of the arts, this year she produced the University of Melbourne Musical Theatre Association's production of "Urinetown".
Michael Whyntie
Producer
Michael recently finished the masters of producing at the VCA. He moved over for the course from Adelaide in 2015 after finishing his law degree.
At VCA, he worked on a range of short films including Crush, winner of Best Editing at the VCA Production Awards and recent entry into MICGénero in Mexico.
Josh Stafield
Director of Photography
Storytelling is always at the forefront of Josh's process and he is passionate about developing a shared understanding of story with key creatives during a production. Using light, composition, colour and motion, every shot is crafted with purpose and brought to life with ingenuity, creativity and Josh's well developed problem solving skills.
Josh has worked in broadcast television, short narrative film and feature documentaries. He was nominated for the VCA cinematography award two years in a row, winning in 2015.
Written and Directed by Eli Mak Produced by Gabrielle McLeod and Michael Whyntie
Director of Photography Josh Stafield First Assistant Director Justin McCloud
Cast
Ronnen Leizerovitz
Ben Chamravi
Harry Marget
Verity Higgins
Bianka Zizic
Delaine Sinclair
Lily-Rose Petito
Avigal Weizman
Alon Fisher
Idan Vansover
Max Gettler
Taylor Segeal
Bohdi Lindsey
Chase Bautista
Jessica Martin
Chris Kemp
Vuyo Loko
Kobi Rischin
Rob Alden
Varun Swaminathan
Yash Sharma
Sunny Walia
Gloria Ajenstat
Charlotte Fox
Brendan Brulee
Tim Clarke
Carol Rothschild
Costume Design Liat Alden Makeup Dinah Hollander and Alex Marshall Script Supervisor Ryan Ketchley
Production Designer Luke Rynderman Still Photographer Wilson Liew Additional Photography Stephanie Alex
Composer Yanni Mougos Creative Consultant Jonny Makowski
First Assistant Camera
Ben Bellette
Justin Time
Ben Luck
Jack Thompson
Second Assistant Camera
Ryan Josipovic
Tiana Koutsis
David Lo Monaco
Sound Recordists
Gaffers
Richard Smale
Jack McCulloch
Jay Kudakaev
Rafi Gandur
Richard Turton
James Towsey
Supervising Producer Sandra Sciberras and Gus Howard Screen Production Coordinator Donna Hensler
Post Production Coordinator Gordon Lyon Online Editor Declan Loughran Sound Mixer Neill S. Bell
Extras
Abagail Grigsby
Jaime Enrique Gutierrez Perez
Darren Shandler
Rafi Gandur
Joel Roth
Shimi Basserabie
Naomi Basserabie
Claudine Dearn
Richard Smale
Samantha Cahn
Emily Chadwick
Annaisse Novak
Sonja Josipovic
David Class