Filmmaker, Patrick Roddy, of noir contemporary classic indie film MERCY seems to be garnering much praise for this debut film. We chat with lead actor Gary Shannon and Roddy.

A psychological thriller, Mercy is about a man named ‘John Mercy’ who has just recently been released from prison. Ready to start a new life, John Mercy, (Gary Shannon) moves into his new apartment, attends his new job, and does everything as planned. All is well until a mysterious woman with a constantly bleeding throat begins to follow him around. Strange things start happening in no time; he has abnormally frightening nightmares, wakes up to a bleeding mouth, and missing body parts. With this lady haunting him, he feels all is lost for him and the possibility of a new life no longer exists. He begins losing his happiness, and his sanity.

 I saw the film at this years’ Calgary Fringe Festival and was wowed by the eerie tension and psychosis of this film by debut filmmaker Patrick Roddy. I had the great pleasure to do a Q&A with both the director of the film, Roddy, and the actor portraying John Mercy -- Gary Shannon. 

1. Personally, the film Mercy scared the living daylights out of me. Did you start with the intent to make a film that would ‘scare’ audiences in a way not previously done before? Where did you find the inspiration for this style of ‘scare’ come from?

PR: It wasn't my intent to make a scary film.  The initial idea was for a noir.  As I wrote the script, it became an art film with surreal elements.  It seemed like a nightmare and that's what I tried to conceive once we started shooting.

2. You wrote this film as well as this is your directorial debut. Tell me how you came up with the story of Mercy? And then how did you decide to translate it to screen? Did you instinctively feel it was best to film in black and white?

PR: The idea first came to me almost eight years ago.  The idea was a noir where an ex-con is tortured by the family of his victims.  Soon after, I began discovering J-horror films and they inspired me to add a more supernatural tone to the story.  Since the film was to be made for no money, I decided to go with whatever my imagination gave me.  I was never concerned about its commerciality or if audiences would like it; I wanted to make a film that I wanted to
see.  The B&W was the right choice since it is still a noir film.

3. How did the script develop as much of the film is imagery as opposed to dialogue? Or did you write dialogue but when filming, the film evolved into less dialogue?

PR: Film is a visual medium.  My approach is always to tell the story first with images and if I need dialogue, use it.  The world of Mercy is empty…not many people for John to talk to. 

4. What was the primary theme you were trying to convey in Mercy? How was this original or a new take on a common theme? How does it relate to people or society today?

PR: People generally have very different views of the film.  For me it’s a story of a man who is unwilling to look at his wrong doings.  I think many people feel that unpleasant things that happened in the past should stay in the past.  But that doesn't excuse the need to make things right.

5. Mercy is Gary Shannon’s first film. He was fantastic! How did you find him? What was it like to work with Gary Shannon?

PR: I saw Gary in a play and asked him to audition; he was the perfect choice for John Mercy.  Gary was amazing to work with and I am eager to work with him again. I am so pleased that he's getting so much recognition for the film…its well deserved.

6. Did Mercy turn out how you expected it to? You were the producer as well, what are some of the benefits and drawbacks to independent filmmaking? Would you rather make an indie film you have more control over but less funding, or a bigger budget film but with less artistic license?
PR: I didn't expect Mercy to get as much attention as it has.  Making indie films is an endeavour of love; it’s a gamble every time.  I've made bigger films, but I prefer the smaller ones.  There is more creative control.  You feel more like an artist than a business man.
 
7. Who is your favourite director? Who inspires your style of filmmaking? Aside from Mercy of course, in your opinion, what is the best film ever made?

PR: My favourite director is David Lynch.  I also enjoy the work of Guy Maddin and Shinya Tsukamoto.  I don't know about the best film ever made but my favourite is Blue
Velvet. 8. What can audiences expect from you in the future?

PR: I am currently finishing my latest film RED 71.  I produced and directed; it’s a noir as well, with a lot more characters and in color.  I hope it will be on the festival circuit early 2008. 

 1. I see that this was your first film; was this a one time acting job, or will you be doing more films in the future? Is acting your career or have you an acting career on stage perhaps? How did you get attached to the production of Mercy?  

GS: Well, I didn't plan for it to be a one time acting job, but it's certainly turning out that way. As they say in the ‘biz,’ I can't get arrested! I had hoped that Mercy would lead to other projects but so far I can't even find anyone interested in representing me. I have done a great deal of stage work. In fact, a few months ago I played Willie Loman in Death of A Salesman – now that is a challenge. Patrick was at a performance of The Nerd and saw me in the role of the boss. The Nerd is a comedy and my character was one of those blustery over-blown executive types. I don't have any idea what Patrick saw that made him think I could play John Mercy. Maybe it was the somewhat vague resemblance to Al Pacino.

2. You portrayed your character, John Mercy flawlessly in my opinion. Was it hard to get inside the mind of John Mercy?  

GS: Patrick helped a lot with me getting into the mind of John Mercy. He had a very clear cut idea about the character. One of Patrick's (of many) talents is expressing what he wants to everyone involved. But, yeah, John came from a very dark place. I have no point of reference for a character like that other than the feelings of solitude we've all had. The hard part was knowing there was no true repentance in John Mercy. I kept that in mind throughout the filming.

3. With such little dialogue, you had to convey a lot of emotion and story more subtly through your performance. How did you deal with that?  

GS: I think it's one of the parts I enjoyed most once I got into the swing of things. After a bit I found that if I could make myself feel the emotions John had to be feeling that they would come out in my facial expressions. My mom always told me she could tell what I was thinking just by looking in my eyes.

4. This is Patrick Roddys’ directorial debut; what was it like to work with Roddy?  

GS: Working with Patrick was fantastic! As I mentioned earlier, Patrick is great at communicating what he wants, but it goes well beyond that. Patrick has a very strong feel for what will and won't work. Looking back it's almost as if he was editing the film in his head as he was shooting it.
He got more out of me than I knew I had in me.

5. What is your favourite movie? What actor/s do you admire?

GS: Favourite movie? That's always the hardest question. It really depends on my mood at any given moment. I've always admired the work of the more intense actors- Pacino, De Niro, and all the folks of that ‘school’...but I am really amazed at the talent of Ed Norton. I thought his portrayal in Primal Fear was amazing. 

I’d recommend those interested in great, classic horror films, psychological films, or just a good scare, to seek out Mercy as it is gathering a strong audience following and will most likely arrive in your area at some point. If not, ask your local fringe festival, film festival or film group to track Mercy down at: www.patrickroddy.com 

To read Emily Axelson's Review of MERCY click here