The Last Furlong (film)
Encyclopedia
Hideaways is a 2011 film directed by Agnès Merlet
and written by Nick Murphy
. It will star Rachel Hurd-Wood
and Harry Treadaway
. The film is a French/Irish/Swedish co-production.
James is sent to St. Judes reformatory, but does not adjust easily to life there. Having been home-schooled on the farm, he is not equipped with the necessary social skills or abilities on the sports-field. He is bullied by the other boys, especially Kevin and Stephen. His only friend is Liam, the only one who shows him any kindness. His powers then kill the hurling Coach's vicious dog Tinkerbell. The principal, Mrs Moore suspects Kevin, because of his smug attitude. Kevin and Stephen attack James, for getting Kevin into trouble. A mysterious illness then sweeps through the reformatory, killing everyone except James and Liam, who flees and suffers only lung problems. In the chaos that ensues, he finally begins to comprehend the dark, destructive nature of his powers, and at the first opportunity he goes into hiding.
Years later, he is discovered by a young woman, living out a lonely existence completely isolated from society. Mae (named after actress Mae West
) has run away from hospital where she is being treated for cancer and comes across James's cottage deep in the woods by chance. Initially, he is reluctant to have anything to do with her, fearful of harming her, but Mae has already resigned herself to her fate and is afraid of very little – certainly not of James with his gentle nature, and child-like innocence. Even when she learns his story, she is unafraid, and urges him to leave the cottage and his lonely life behind. Mae wants to savour all the time she has left in the world and hates to see someone so loving and compassionate isolated from it and denying himself everything that life has to offer.
They soon fall in love, but Mae returns to the hospital soon after. James visits her, where they consummate their love. Soon after, James bumps into Liam, the sole survivor from the reformatory. In the final climactic scenes, Liam confronts James with the destruction of his past, and kills him with a scissors, before running away. James' strange powers had cured everyone in the hospital and stopped Mae's death. The film ends six years later with Mae telling their six year-old daughter, Diana (named after singer Diana Ross
) about James.
began on May 10, 2010 in Ireland. Filming will take place on location in Wicklow
and Meath
. Filming was scheduled to last two months, but completion of principal photography was delayed as a result of Hurd-Wood becoming ill. Filming locations included Ballygarth Castle in Julianstown
, Meath and Shanganagh Castle in Shankill, Dublin
. The film was originally called The Last Furlong but was changed to Hideaways. It will premiere in the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival
.
Agnès Merlet
Agnès Merlet is a French film director who is known for directing Son of the Shark, Artemisia and Dorothy Mills...
and written by Nick Murphy
Nick Murphy (writer)
Nick Murphy is an Irish writer and director. He is best known for his work on the TV drama series "The Running Mate" and the feature film The Last Furlong .- Personal life :...
. It will star Rachel Hurd-Wood
Rachel Hurd-Wood
Rachel Clare Hurd-Wood is an English actress. Her break-out role was as Wendy Darling in the 2003 movie Peter Pan.-Personal life:Rachel Hurd-Wood was born in London, England, the daughter of Philip and Sarah Hurd-Wood...
and Harry Treadaway
Harry Treadaway
- Personal life :Treadaway was born in Devon, England, and brought up in Sandford, near Crediton, Devon, with his father, an architect, his mother, a primary school teacher and two brothers - his slightly older twin Luke and their older brother Sam, an artist...
. The film is a French/Irish/Swedish co-production.
Plot
James Furlong is the last in a long line of Furlongs who were each blessed or cursed with ugliness with a strange ability. His grandfather, Charlie went temporarily blind when he thought about sex. His father, Philip could turn off anything electrical when he was frightened. From the moment of his violent birth, involving the death of his mother, his life seems ill-fated, but it is unclear what kind of ability, if any, he possesses. Growing up in rural Ireland, his grandmother tells him about the strange quirks of his ancestors and the boy begins to experiment on himself, longing to discover some extraordinary, hidden power. But instead, his experiments lead to the death of his family's livestock, followed swiftly by the loss of Philip and his beloved grandmother, Charlotte. By the time he is ten years old, James is the sole survivor of the Furlong family.James is sent to St. Judes reformatory, but does not adjust easily to life there. Having been home-schooled on the farm, he is not equipped with the necessary social skills or abilities on the sports-field. He is bullied by the other boys, especially Kevin and Stephen. His only friend is Liam, the only one who shows him any kindness. His powers then kill the hurling Coach's vicious dog Tinkerbell. The principal, Mrs Moore suspects Kevin, because of his smug attitude. Kevin and Stephen attack James, for getting Kevin into trouble. A mysterious illness then sweeps through the reformatory, killing everyone except James and Liam, who flees and suffers only lung problems. In the chaos that ensues, he finally begins to comprehend the dark, destructive nature of his powers, and at the first opportunity he goes into hiding.
Years later, he is discovered by a young woman, living out a lonely existence completely isolated from society. Mae (named after actress Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
) has run away from hospital where she is being treated for cancer and comes across James's cottage deep in the woods by chance. Initially, he is reluctant to have anything to do with her, fearful of harming her, but Mae has already resigned herself to her fate and is afraid of very little – certainly not of James with his gentle nature, and child-like innocence. Even when she learns his story, she is unafraid, and urges him to leave the cottage and his lonely life behind. Mae wants to savour all the time she has left in the world and hates to see someone so loving and compassionate isolated from it and denying himself everything that life has to offer.
They soon fall in love, but Mae returns to the hospital soon after. James visits her, where they consummate their love. Soon after, James bumps into Liam, the sole survivor from the reformatory. In the final climactic scenes, Liam confronts James with the destruction of his past, and kills him with a scissors, before running away. James' strange powers had cured everyone in the hospital and stopped Mae's death. The film ends six years later with Mae telling their six year-old daughter, Diana (named after singer Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
) about James.
Cast
- Rachel Hurd-WoodRachel Hurd-WoodRachel Clare Hurd-Wood is an English actress. Her break-out role was as Wendy Darling in the 2003 movie Peter Pan.-Personal life:Rachel Hurd-Wood was born in London, England, the daughter of Philip and Sarah Hurd-Wood...
as Mae-West O'Mara - Harry TreadawayHarry Treadaway- Personal life :Treadaway was born in Devon, England, and brought up in Sandford, near Crediton, Devon, with his father, an architect, his mother, a primary school teacher and two brothers - his slightly older twin Luke and their older brother Sam, an artist...
as James Furlong - James Wilson as James Furlong (10)
- Thomas SangsterThomas SangsterThomas Brodie Sangster is an English film and television actor, best known for his roles in Love Actually, Nanny McPhee, The Last Legion, and voice of Ferb Fletcher in Phineas and Ferb.-Personal life:...
as Liam - Susan LynchSusan LynchSusan Lynch is an actor from Northern Ireland.-Early life:Lynch was born in Corrinshego, Newry, County Armagh, Northern Ireland to an Italian mother and Irish father. Her brother is actor John Lynch, she has a sister, Pauline, who is a drama teacher at St...
as Mrs O'Mara - Stuart Graham as Sergeant
- Aaron Monaghan as Philip Furlong
- Diarmuid O'Dwyer as Liam (11)
- Craig Connolly as Kevin
- Calem Martin as Stephen
- Chris Johnston as Bully
- Shane Curry as Bully 3
- Kate O'TooleKate O'Toole (actress)Kate E. O'Toole is an Irish actress. She is the daughter of actors Peter O'Toole and Siân Phillips and was named after Katharine Hepburn....
as Mrs. Moore - Bern Deegan as Charlie Furlong (32)
- Mairead Reynolds as Charlotte Furlong (28)
- Holly Gregg as Laura
- Niamh Shaw as Night Nurse
- Tom Collins as Mr. Boyle
- Brianna O' Driscoll as Diana-Ross Furlong-O'Mara
- Callum Maloney as Philip Furlong (5)
- Joe Dermody as Coach Hanley
Production
Principal photographyPrincipal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
began on May 10, 2010 in Ireland. Filming will take place on location in Wicklow
Wicklow
Wicklow) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. Located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island, it has a population of 10,070 according to the 2006 census. The town is situated to the east of the N11 route between Dublin and Wexford. Wicklow is also connected to the rail...
and Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
. Filming was scheduled to last two months, but completion of principal photography was delayed as a result of Hurd-Wood becoming ill. Filming locations included Ballygarth Castle in Julianstown
Julianstown
Julianstown is a village in County Meath, Ireland. It is located near Drogheda on the R132 regional road not far from the Mosney Camp. In 1641, the battle of Julianstown was fought here during the Irish Rebellion of 1641...
, Meath and Shanganagh Castle in Shankill, Dublin
Shankill, Dublin
Shankill is a suburb in the South-East of Dublin located in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland. It has a population of 13,242 .-History:-Name:...
. The film was originally called The Last Furlong but was changed to Hideaways. It will premiere in the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
.