Zugzwang

Cal / The Executioner

Written and Directed by Chris Rej

Zugzwang - A situation in which the obligation to make a move in one's turn is a serious, often decisive, disadvantage.

A fear-inducing allegory for classism, xenophobia and imposter syndrome, particularly within the academic university environment. Styled in high contrast black and white, with oppressive scenery and a deadly game of chess - I cannot wait to see how this short film turns out!

Zugzwang was my second psychological thriller and my first 'faceless' role. I particularly loved playing The Executioner - a threatening but silent masked figure used by the intelligentsia to manipulate Jordan into playing their games. This role presented a unique challenge of communicating and expressing purely through physicality and without words to back it up. The goal was to be smooth, robotic and slightly unearthly, almost void of emotion/human tendency. I was amused to find how difficult it was to eliminate some of my natural motion and isolate the movement for a simple, direct action, but I think after a little practice and with Chris' direction, I managed to pull it off.

The other role I played, Cal, was Jordan's aloof roommate who was quietly inducted into and then killed by the same secret society that plague Jordan through the film. This was only a small role, mostly designed to emphasise later plot developments, but I found the contrast between Cal and The Executioner intriguing. I was keen to distinguish them from one another, so hopefully no one will suspect the two characters were played by the same actor until the credits roll.

The above stills are all I have from the film at present, but I'm excited to see the final cut after post-production has finished.