Produced with Tall Man Short Man Productions, Jamie Korn & Chris Bailey
Tackle is the story of a young teenage footballer that faces
the consequences of coming out to his friends and family as a
homosexual.
Set against a remote, rural, Northern backdrop, we observe
Daniel’s struggle to overcome and challenge misguided views
and discrimination from his friends and family.
Daniel is a talented Sunday league football player. Now 16, he
has discovered whom he is and that he is gay. However, being
true to this part of himself and open about his sexuality with
conviction may be the biggest challenge he’s ever had to
tackle.
The film observes Daniel over the hours before his first game
of football the day after his sexual identity has been
revealed to his parents and teammates. We follow Daniel on his
journey to the match as his anxiety builds. Relations with his
nearest and dearest fray as thoughts of the locker room prematch
loom.
Wearing our influences on our sleeves I want to explore and
borrow from the dramatic highs of Andrea Arnold and the subtle
lows of Duane Hopkins and Steve McQueen while creating empathy
for a Dardene Brothers-esque character.