and so it came about (A Tale of Consequential Dormancy)

Directed by Charlotte Pryce

A mythological tale, retold and recast, unfurls on the periphery of a common. The entangled intrigues of the seen and the unseen conspire to disclose an underland at once enticing and threatening. But what are the consequences of such trespassing between worlds? The title of this allegorical story refers to the ecological process that occurs when organisms enter a dormant phase in response to adverse conditions. The film was made during the months and years of the pandemic. There were two aspects of this time that I was particularly struck by: firstly, that the virus occurred because of an extraordinary contact between the animal and human worlds, and secondly, that this contact resulted in a global "dormancy". Such events seemed terrifying and inexplicable - and yet our folklore, myths and fairy tales are replete with such events and occurrences. In turn these stories drew from observation of natural processes.