Signs of Life + Q&A (15)

Sarah-Jane Potts effortlessly carries Joseph Millson’s muted drama with little more than her gaze.

She plays Anne, a woman in her 40s travelling alone to Lanzarote, dressed in black and silent among carefree holidaymakers. She is not deaf, as her notebook explains; she simply no longer speaks. Selective mutism has taken hold after a devastating loss, her grief visible in every glance and gesture. Iris Murdoch once wrote that “the bereaved cannot communicate with the unbereaved,” and Anne, fittingly, spends her days reading Murdoch’s The Sea, The Sea while keeping others at a distance.

The film avoids flashbacks, revealing her past only through the odd photograph, a business card, or the way she recoils from casual contact. Into this stillness steps Bill, a talkative Irishman holidaying after a messy divorce. Where Anne cannot speak, Bill cannot stop, and their awkward, funny exchanges bring flickers of light.

The result is an ambitious mix of raw drama and gentle optimism, a heartfelt debut that showcases a remarkable gift for emotionally resonant storytelling. With Millson and Oscar-winning composer Anne Dudley joining us for a live Q&A, it’s a special opportunity to hear directly from two creative forces at the heart of the film.