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Story
Against the backdrop of lockdown and isolation, a withdrawn young man (Harry Walters) is looking for something to pass the time. He agrees to help a reclusive elderly neighbour (Roger Sloman) with their weekly grocery shopping during lockdown.
Upon the young man's first shopping trips come many mistakes. The elderly neighbour lectures him for knocking on his door too hard, forgetting the washing up liquid with recyclable plastic and forgetting organic milk. Despite the young man's acts of kindness, the irritable elderly neighbour shows very little appreciation. Unfazed, the young man decides to seek out the elderly neighbour's softer side. The two form an unlikely friendship which will greatly change them both.
Toast is a heart-warming story of connections made in the face of adversity. The film stars Roger Sloman (Nuts in May, A Kick Up The Eighties) and Harry Walters (Soft, Next Week).
Benedict Webb, Director
"The initial inspiration for Toast began as an exploration of compassion and friendship. There was compassion through the smallest of actions through lockdown and that's not something I've seen much conveyed on screen. Me and Harry Walters (Writer) sat down and got thinking. What happens to someone when they lose their other half later in life? What happens to two different people when the world becomes increasingly more isolated. From the outset, me and Harry knew we wanted a story with a lot of heart, but it needed lightness and comedic relief.
I thought a lot back to early lockdown. My mum would get these handwritten shopping lists from our next door neighbour. Every week, she would help by buying their weekly grocery shopping. I thought back to my Dad doing the same for my Nanna. He would park outside her flat, and drop it at her doorstep each Sunday. We bonded over the smallest things, but at the time - they felt massive. Harry and I felt there was a story that could come out of this, something with a lot of heart and something that would really make people laugh too. We wanted to tackle these poignant ideas with humour. Getting to work with an actor with such stature as Roger was a joy. He brought such an amusing dry and witty delivery, and such brevity and nuance that gave a lot room to explore the character's softer side.
It's about weaving in comedy with the dramatic elements, but still trying to strike a nerve. On an emotional level, it’s warmer, a little lighter than our previous films. We wanted the film to feel dynamic and snappy in its camera movement, it's editing, it's sound design and the way the characters move on screen."
Harry Walters, Writer
"Toast to me is about how connections and relationships can be built upon even during adversity, especially between people who wouldn’t normally share many interactions. That’s beautiful and I knew it set a great pretense for a story just waiting to be brought to life.
I feel like the film reflects the compassion and bonding over the little things. There’s also this almost brotherly friendship at times between two male characters, different in age, outlook, being open and looking inwards towards themselves.
Getting to work with Roger was perfect for the story. He's a remarkable actor and it was truly amazing that Roger from reading the script, he immediately seemed to resonate with the character and the story we were trying to tell."
Stills
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