In Partnership with JMC Academy
Jack Clark and Jim Weir, the creative minds behind the psychological thriller “Birdeater,” are using their directorial debut feature to confront Australian culture head-on.
The film, which made waves at SXSW Austin, MIFF, and Cinefest Oz, and is now showing in Australian cinemas, explores the complexities of toxic masculinity and emotional abuse through the story of a bride-to-be being invited to her own fiancé’s bucks party, when things turn “feral”.
“It was never a monster movie, it was never a slasher,” Jack reassures. “[But] it’s kind of that same feeling of adrenaline that you have when you’re in a terrible social situation. We wanted to simulate that. Which is your body anticipating violence.”
Speaking to Variety AU/NZ at JMC Academy’s Sydney campus, the directors and friends discuss how their film emerged from both personal experiences and a desire to challenge cinematic conventions.
“A big thing in ‘Birdeater’ is comedy,” explains Jim. “Australian men can only really joke with each other. As soon as something serious comes up, you have to make a joke about it and fall back into that.”
“Me and Jack are fairly aware of how much we like that. We love that men are constantly making jokes, we’re constantly making jokes. We fall into the same traps of the men we’re trying to critique.”
Recorded by JMC Academy students studying Audio Engineering and Film & TV, the podcast episode revealed the duo’s approach to filmmaking, especially on a small budget, and made for an incredible learning opportunity for the live audience of creative students.
The scene was fitting, since Jack and Jim’s creative partnership began at film school.
They bonded over their love of films and – oddly enough – brutal honesty. “We were very happy to give each other brutal critiques of each other’s writing and work,” says Jim. “We knew we weren’t good yet, and we wanted to be.”
“I would watch Jim watch a film, then go do his own short project and see that he’s just mimicking something that he’s just watched. It was just helpful to have somebody that you could really get the truth from here,” shares Jack. This dynamic of candid feedback and shared vision eventually led them to form a production company and embark on their first feature film.
Their journey to “Birdeater” started with a tiny budget, funded by a Facebook post. “I saw a Facebook post from this producer in Sydney who’s just starting a production company called Breathless Films, and they wanted to finance five micro-budget features over the course of a year, which is just kind of an unheard of model in Australia,” recalls Jack.
“We saw a chance and jumped at it. The budget was only a couple hundred thousand Australian dollars – but it was enough to get our vision off the ground.”
Perhaps what makes the film most interesting is its characters – totally unlikeable, yet addictive to watch. “We know all of the characters in some way and a lot of them are our own impulses, magnified and turned into the most kind of awful versions,” Jack says, speaking of the inspiration behind the story.
“The first idea was about a relationship with separation anxiety that we wanted to separate at one point in the story to see what would happen. And then everything else kind of fell around that.”
“Birdeater” explores the concept of toxic masculinity through its depiction of male friendships and relationships. “The film is an unapologetic look at how Australia’s iconic masculine identity has become incompatible with contemporary gender politics,” the creators describe in their director’s statement.
“I think it’s the way that men relate to each other, not only the idea of the classic Australian man, but also mateship and the way he relates to other men. How does that affect our national identity? If the code in which we talk about friendship is largely about the way men relate to one another,” Jack expands on in the podcast.
“How does that imprison our men and how does it also ‘other’ people who aren’t part of that group?”
In front of the JMC Academy students, Jack and Jim go into detail about their approach to working collaboratively, their experience on set as first-time directors, and finding resilience when things go wrong. For aspiring filmmakers, their story proves anything is possible with the right idea and total unwavering commitment.
Keen to learn more? Listen to the full episode with Jack Clark and Jim Weir or check out the huge range of study opportunities designed to kick start your career in the entertainment industry at JMC Academy. JMC Academy’s September intake is the perfect opportunity for mature creatives to get a head start in the creative course they’ve always wanted to study. Apply now to learn more about JMC’s flexible study options and your future creative career opportunities.
Stream the Variety Australia Podcast below or anywhere you get your podcasts.