Jan Komasa Talks ‘Heel’ Filmmaking And Importance of A “Life Figure”

Jan Komasa, the director behind Corpus Christi and Anniversary, has another first rate film under his belt with Heel. The picture, which is titled Good Boy in international markets, centers on a 19-year-old troublemaker named Tommy (Anson Boon) who is abducted by Chris (Stephen Graham), a stranger with ulterior motives. Imprisoned in Chris’ house, Tomy gradually bonds with his captor’s family, which includes Chris’ wife Kathryn (Andrea Riseborough) and their son Jonathan (Kit Rakusen). During the interview, Kimosa talked about how having a “life figure” helps focus his storytelling.

“I’m probably much more conscious these days,” said Komasa about how he approaches his work. “I teach this too, it is to find something I call ‘life figure.’ It is an algorithm for a specific movie – a melody of this movie. It’s a very specific thing.”

“For Good Boy, it was the moment I realized that this film is about a guy who is imprisoned by this family. They take care of him (and) they’re obsessed with him. But they want to educate him, and despite the chain and the electrocution and all of the other stuff, they’re really caring and gentle. He has their full attention but he is (imprisoned). On the outside world, he has all the freedom but nobody cares. So that’s the engine of Good Boy. The moment I found it, I knew I had a film.”

Heel is now playing in theaters and is avalable on Digital and On Demand. Let us know your thoughts on the movie in the comments!

Full interview with Komasa is below:

Check out our review of Heel (we all recommend the movie) on this week’s CinemAddicts: