'Basically I write for me … and then see where the characters lead'

The odd couple: Andrea Riseborough, left, and Brenda Blethyn in Dragonfly Photo: Courtesy of Film Servis Karlovy Vary

Before writer-director Paul Andrew Williams unleashes his scripts on the universe he plays every role himself – “acting it all out in my room like a lunatic. Basically I write for me … and then see where the characters lead”.

In the case of Dragonfly, the end result defies categorisation. It starts off as a tale of an unlikely friendship between two neighbours – Colleen, who’s on benefits and owns an evil-looking canine Sabre, and 84-year-old Elsie, looked after by a succession of carers. The initial bond between these two lost souls spirals into darker territory and (mild spoiler alert) leads to a bloody finale.

Williams who broke through with his first feature, the BAFTA-nominated gritty thriller London To Brighton in 2006, has explored horror-comedy and thriller territory with The Cottage and Cherry Tree Lane as well as the drama Song For Marion (in 2012) and gangster thriller Bull. He pays the mortgage by directing and producing for television with work on the likes of Broadchurch, A Confession and The Eichmann Show.

We meet as he’s taking stock at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (before Edinburgh International Film Festival, where London To Brighton premiered two decades ago) alongside actor Jason Watkins, who plays Elsie’s son John in a quietly effective performance.

Director-writer Paul Andrew Williams: 'You are aware that there may be a moment that could cause an extreme reaction' Photo: Courtesy of Film Servis Karlovy Vary

With two award-laden actors as the two principal characters – Andrea Riseborough as Colleen and Brenda Blethyn as Elsie – Watkins found himself in good company. “They are both brilliant but have different ways of doing stuff, as all actors do. They both knew their characters so well, and their interpretation of what was written goes way beyond what is in the director’s imagination. I would only go in if necessary because you don’t want to interrupt an actor’s brain.”

Riseborough and Blethyn shared a joint acting award at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival for the film. Blethyn who had just come off the final run of the detective series Vera wasn’t looking for any more work immediately. When the actress originally slated for the role had to pull out, Williams had thought they might have to abandon the imminent production date.

“Casting a film is always difficult but I decided to send Brenda the script via her agent. She responded quickly to say that she hadn’t been looking to do anything else but after she had read it she felt she compelled to do it,” said Williams.

He wrote the narrative during Covid, when he was looking for a project he could make with very few locations and a reduced cast so it could be picked up easily once restrictions lifted. “I love working in a closed environment. It is much easier to be in a tight space and know the confinements and parameters of what we can do rather than having the option that we can do anything. Not that I have had that very often. I think the performances benefit by being in that kind of tight environment. You can only shoot close because it is so small. For me that is much more preferable,” he added.

Jason Watkins: 'I felt that I knew this world even though I do not live in it' Photo: Courtesy of Film Servis Karlovy Vary

He recognises that the film cannot be easily pigeon-holed. “It is difficult to categorise what kind of genre it might be. Obviously people selling films and people going to see films want to have a category. May be this one falls in between about 70! The industry is a lot tougher now in getting films seen. Yes, hou have a lot more platforms on TV but if you make a cinema film then you want it to be shown on a big screen.”

In his director’s notes he outlined the project in this way: “I wanted to tell a story about the marginalised and forgotten people in society. About those who have been disregarded by the state or by those close to them – their families. I wanted to tell a story asking questions about who is responsible for these people and asking and shining a light on the thorny but universal issue of social care. I wanted to create an atmospheric and uncertain world and constantly ask the audience to challenge their preconceptions of others. Life can be hard and difficult. I hope this film goes some way to capturing that.”

I ask if in the writing process does he ever considers the effect on audiences of the situations he describes. “You are aware that there may be a moment that could cause an extreme reaction. I noticed watching a rough cut that there was a ‘jump moment’ when even I jumped a little bit. My wife watched it and literally leapt out of her seat. I knew then that that particular moment worked.”

Williams believes that putting together the right cast and crew is more than 90 per cent of the recipe for a successful outcome. “If the actors are all experienced and smart I don’t need to say anything unless it is not what I need. I don’t need 55 variations on saying a line - I just need to believe them. A lot of the directing emerges from whom you work with.”

Watkins relished the experience because what Williams puts on the page “is always very accurate. He is able to let things evolve. I loved the scene where Colleen is stroking Elsie’s arm and she goes off to sleep. As a child my upbringing was lower middle-class. My father was adopted by an aunt. I felt that I knew this world even though I do not live in it. It was easy in terms of acting just to slip in, to listen and engage in what was going on around meand just to sort of fit in.”

Williams jokes that what he is working on at the moment clearly is “a work of genius.” He assures that whatever else emerges it will have “a bit more hope.”

Dragonfly is showing at Edinburgh International Film Festival, Filmhouse Screen 2, 19 August 17.45