Director's Notes
Power stations, radio-telescopes, sound mirrors - they all belong to a scientific legacy echoing the story themes but also emanate a presence and character that can affect the way we feel and interact with the world. I wanted the actors to viscerally respond to the environment and become part of it, so the physical space could mimic the emotional distance between the characters and the way they felt in society and with each other.
Spin State is a film about identity and loss and how our perception of the world and ourselves can change our own reality. I was heavily influenced by the psychogeographic movement, Guy Debord and the French Situationists, and the way they emphasise connections between ourselves and the land, the structures we create and how they can affect us, our memories, sense of self and even our actions.
With that in mind, finding the right locations for the film was crucial.
There’s a deep connection to science in the film too, specifically quantum physics. I talked to two prominent physicists, Jim Baggot and Carlo Rovelli, to make sure the science in the film was correct and had a basis in real life. Quantum physics is often misunderstood and
misrepresented in popular entertainment, when the truth behind it is far stranger than is often portrayed. To me, science fiction is best when it doesn’t abandon reality altogether but builds on what is real.
With a strong science theme, mental health issues, and a young man rebelling against society, Jamie Robson (Kline) and I jokingly coined the phrase Kitchen Sink Sci-Fi to describe the film’s genre, which we both laughed about at the time but looking at it now actually seems entirely appropriate.
