The Ambrose Finch

'The Ambrose Finch' is a bittersweet film about an older woman, Agnes Ambrose, who has a last meal with her two estranged children, John and Giselle.

While doing so, she is taken into her memories of them as children; however, something isn’t quite right. 

Someone is missing. 

The story explores how the Ambrose family all deal with grief and resolution differently. And how sometimes these differences are what make us grow apart.

This happens to Agnes and her children. John and Giselle's relationship with their mother is strained by how she deals with loss. 

But now, in her last few hours, Agnes must come to terms with how her grief has affected her and her children before she moves on. 

'The Ambrose Finch' film marries the themes of motherhood, grief and resolution together into one fifteen minute impactful story. 

'The Ambrose Finch' blends the present timelines of the Ambrose family with their past. The aim is to craft a cinematic language that deeply explores memory, grief and the complex path to reconciliation. 

The cinematography will focus on capturing the intimacy. Warmth will characterise scenes from the past, imbuing them with a nostalgic glow. 

The sense of closeness will contrast sharply with the present, where soft and colder lighting reflects The Ambrose's emotional distance. Spacial composition will play a crucial role. The use of negative space will underscore the characters' separation and internal solitude. 

To best capture this story, the crew will be taking visual inspiration from films such as A Hidden life, The Tree of Life, Dark and many more. In particular, drawing from the way they portray family, absence and emotion. 

Many integral elements of 'The Ambrose Finch' come from its production design. Agnes' emotional turmoil is displayed through the objects she surrounds herself with.  

Its both lavish and decaying features captures the family's aristocratic background but also how the family has fallen apart. Agnes traps herself in her sorrow and loss, and therefore the house and her possessions reflect this.

The costumes will serve as a second skin to reflect the character personalities and inner emotions. Cooler tones and rich fabrics will be used in the present to contrast with warm tones and lighter materials in flashbacks. 

Agnes always reads a particular book to her children: Orpheus and Eurydice. It tells the story of two lovers who are about to get married. However, on their wedding day, the bride Eurydice dies from a snake bite. 

Orpheus travels to the underworld to beg Hades for her back. Hades agrees to let Eurydice return, on one condition that Orpheus not look back at her until they reach the surface. 

Just before safety, Orpheus can't help but look back. Eurydice, who has been following him, disappears forever, leaving him heartbroken.

Like Orpheus, Agnes spends her life looking back. She fixates on memories of those she has lost, leaving her trapped and unable to move forward. The grave mistake Orpheus makes is one that Agnes cannot stop herself from repeating.

The Ambrose family have a finch from their garden that they look after. Finches and their song bring joy to a household and often symbolise the human soul in Ancient Egyptian art. 

But what does it mean when The Ambrose Finch dies? 

To Agnes, it might not just be a pet that she feels she has lost. 

The finch and its cage present a challenge for Agnes. While the rest of the Ambrose family wants to set the bird free, Agnes wants nothing but to keep it caged. She wants to keep it close. But why?

With the help of the talented crew of 'The Ambrose finch', the script is starting to become a reality.

All that's left now is...

To be able to bring our film to life, we need to raise money for it. Your donations will go towards integral things for our film to be the best it can be! These things include the actors, the costumes, the set, the equipment and much more...

Any donation helps. Your contribution, big or small, can make a difference to us. 

Thank you,

The Ambrose crew. 

The prize draw starts on the 14th of November 2024 at 7:00AM British time and ends 12th of December at 7:00AM British time.

Three winners will be picked for Agnes' Mystery Box Raffle. All will receive a digital copy of the film and a hand picked prop.

Three winners will be picked for More Mystery Raffle. All will receive a digital copy of the film, a baby crew-made finch and a hand picked prop.

Eligible paid entries to the raffle must be done via a donation. 

Eligible free entries to the raffle must be done via email. Send your full name and "THE AMBROSE FINCH RAFFLE" to [email protected]. 

All winners will be selected at random by a generator and contacted by the Monday the 16th of December 2024 to claim their prize. Deliveries will be made by the 31st of July 2025.