The mystery of Mr Jonathan

Mystery today is a luxury", says director Johnny Hardstaff in the press release for his new and unusual film for what the release goes on to say is the "reclusive Paris client, Mr Jonathan". 

Who Mr Jonathan is or what it does is unclear. What is clear is that the film is a weird and wonderful two-minutes that encompasses a woman with a plug hanging from her mouth, a man with a jump lead attached to his genitals, someone in a cardboard box and some nastly looking nail attached to sunglasses. 

Created through production company ENID, the film is like a Lynchian fever dream: Does it make sense? Not to me. Does it demand your attention? Absolutely. 

“Industry’s harsh searchlight is busy banishing the shadows, and intrigue is evaporating fast," adds Hardstaff. "So, when an unusual project comes along where you're invited to do the very thing that advertising never would but maybe should, well, who are we to let a little unorthodoxy get in the way? Why be boring? Yes, it’s true that we never did meet or speak with Mr Jonathan - just an intermediary (The Jonathan Foundation correspond solely by telephone). And maybe that was the strangest client presentation I’ve ever experienced (the client silently sat behind a curtain). And no, we never did fully understand what it is that 'Mr Jonathan' does exactly (something ‘lifestyle’ perhaps?). But then the mission wasn’t to be literal. It was to capture an essence. A loose – or should I say ‘louche’ – agenda. The mission was to cast some shadows, not run in fear from them."