In this poignant snapshot of the modern relationship, a dysfunctional night with his girlfriend challenges Jay to evaluate whether the rewards of intimacy and commitment are worth the complicated baggage that comes with.

Creative team

Writer/producer: Jessica Rose
Director/producer: David Lester

Filmmaker’s statement

When Jessica approached me with her script for Alison, I was pretty much ready to shoot the first draft. It was quirky and honest and relevant, and dealt with relationships in a way I rarely see portrayed on the big screen.

This film came together rather quickly. Frustrated with being dependent on funding for our creative expression, we initially approached it as a bit of both an exercise and a challenge: what could we create with a simple two-hander script in one day with practically no budget?

We liked the idea of being able to just practice our craft and play around on set for a day with no pressure – just creative people coming together for a good time. But it snowballed. So many skilled, professional, committed people come on board to help out simply for the love of indie filmmaking.

In one very long 18-hour day, with the skills and generosity of many, we ended up creating a more nuanced and deeper film than we could have imagined creating with so little time and money.

Robert Brunton, our DP, came on board as soon as he read the script. Jessica’s story is extremely intimate, and we all focused on creating a safe and collaborative environment between Robert and the cast.

This story explores the ways in which we love our partners through their pain and baggage – and what that costs us.

We hope you enjoy!

About David Lester

David Lester is a director, producer and writer in Toronto.

Having been obsessed with the films of Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick from a young age (and enticing all the ladies with his riveting Dial-M-For-Murder date nights), David very logically decided to study economics. Thankfully he flunked out of school and realized filmmaking was his true calling.

His directorial debut, Frozen Marbles, won the Cinespace Best Director Award at the the Lakeshorts Film Festival in 2015. His creative partner and wife, Jessica, won the AH! best emerging artist award for her performance in that same project. His second short, Alison, premiered at the Calgary International Film Festival in September 2016.

With his second passion being music, David has naturally gravitated toward directing music videos. His video for Citizen Fame’s Reverie recently premiered online and in Germany and Switzerland on Rock TV and MTV.

David is currently in pre-production for his next short, A Beer With Ella, and developing another music video. When not sitting in the director’s chair himself, David works passionately as a third assistant director in Toronto on various TV shows and films around the city.