Anya Chalotra of The Witcher, Chloe Cherry of Euphoria, and Ralph Ineson of The Witch star in the dark comedy Two Neighbors, which was able to secure a SAG interim agreement to film while the actors strike was still going on and wrapped production back in September. Although the story is set in New York, filming took place in the UK.
Marking the feature directorial debut of “multi-disciplinary artist” Ondine Viñao, who has exhibited video projects in the US and abroad, Two Neighbors was inspired by Aesop’s fable Avaricious and Envious. This take on the story shows what happens when Becky (Chalotra), an ambitious but struggling writer, is overcome by envy and spite when she meets Stacy (Cherry), a beautiful but insatiable socialite, at a lavish party hosted by Stacy’s father at their country estate. The evening descends slowly into chaos, and the girls’ lives are forever transformed after the unexpected arrival of a modern-day genie (Ineson) who promises to grant their deepest, darkest wishes.
Viñao wrote the screenplay with Jordan Johnson. Fans of The Witcher were able to dig up another description of the project: The Wish Fulfillment Fund, which is run by a magic Genie, announces an open set of candidates. Two women are selected, Stacy and Becky. As their relationship develops, Stacy and Becky become increasingly hostile to each other, and what started as an exciting, unique opportunity quickly turns into chaos and brutality. Two Neighbors is a feverishly dystopian dream that explores the complex nature of individualism, which in its extreme opens up the possibility of complete liberation and complete isolation. At first glance, Two Neighbors is the story of two egocentric women whose mutual anger leads to their mutual destruction. At the same time, it’s a story about gender dynamics, market culture, and the dangers of desires that we don’t understand. This is a story of poisoned fantasy, told mercilessly.
Deadline reports that Chalotra, Cherry, and Ineson are joined in the cast by William Hope (Aliens), Samuel Anderson (Doctor Who), Jake Simmance (Anatomy of a Scandal), Ivy Freeman-Attwood (The Ending), Taz Skylar (One Piece), Joseph Millson (Casino Royale), Zoe Telford (Genius), Laura Arnaiz (Silent Witness), Charles Hagerty (Black Mirror), and Jessie-Ann Kohlman (Dream Scenario).
Two Neighbors is being produced by Ivy Freeman-Attwood of Silkscreen. Sean Croft, Kian Benjamin, and Brendan Brulon serve as executive producers, while Briar McQuilkin and Jordan Johnson co-produce.
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