Love Under the Shadow of Death: The Making of a Movie

A few years ago I wrote a Play called ‘The Gallows’ inspired by an obscure thought experiment in which Immanuel Kant imagined a young man deeply obsessed with a woman. The woman was completely inaccessible, however an opportunity eventually arises where he can spend one night with her.

But there’s a catch.

If he sleeps with her he’ll be hung the next day on a gallows.

For Kant, the solution to this dilemma is simple. The man should calm down, resist the temptation and get on with his life.

Almost 200 years later the psychoanalyst Lacan made a reference to this thought experiment in one of his seminars and noted that the dilemma is actually more complicated than it first appears. For Lacan, the gallows is not simply a deterrent. It can also act as a fuel that fans the flames of the man’s desire. The very threat of death making the temptation all the more difficult to resist.

The Play itself revolved around the story of a man and woman reuniting after ending a passionate affair some years before. They meet late one night in a luxury hotel in Belfast and rediscover the sexual chemistry that had once drawn them inexorably together.

There is however a problem. The husband knows all about the reunion and has made it clear that, should the man sleep with his wife, he’ll never leave the hotel alive.

The story delves into what happens that night and explores the themes of sex, obsession, death and desire. More than this, it reflects the central themes of my wider theological project.

While working on the script it became clear that it was better suited to the big screen, so earlier this year I began working with an amazing screenwriter to adapt it into a movie. One that fits into that well-known genre of theological erotic thrillers.

Things are moving forward, so I’m keen to start giving you occasional updates as we finalize the script, secure actors, and nail down locations. I’m also confident that there will be an opportunity to get involved as we approach filming.