An author is abducted by a fan.


SLAVE TO THE PAGE is used with permission from Ravi Ghelani. Learn more at   / sttpfilm  .


Arthur Williams is a reclusive, successful author who has been wrestling with writer's block for the five years since his last blockbuster book release. One unassuming day, he's abducted, taken blindfolded in the middle of nowhere and held up. But not for cash: his kidnapper is Dev, an obsessive fan who's been frustrated waiting for Arthur's next book.

Unhinged but passionate about Arthur's novels, Dev demands to know what happens in the books, why Arthur hasn't written anything and any other secrets he can reveal about the plots and characters that Dev has come to care so much about. But as Arthur negotiates a tricky psychological dance with Dev, he must use all his wits and intelligence to survive this sticky situation.

Directed and written by Ravi Ghelani, this entertaining and compelling short thriller touches on an array of fascinating contemporary topics, from celebrity worship, toxic fandom, men's mental health and social divides in class and race in England. But it's really a collision between two lost souls, each of whom is at sea in their way. Brought to life with excellent storytelling and deft craftsmanship, their meeting is full of tension, dark humor and gripping suspense, made resonant because the conflicts emerge from a deep understanding of character.

The premise can't help but echo the ongoing fan discourse around a prominent series like Game of Thrones, where legions of fans have been waiting, often with great impatience, for the next book installment of the story and world they've become deeply invested in. But the writing takes the concentrated format of the short film to examine just how deeply someone can attach themselves to a story, whether it is in film or written form.

Played by actor Trevor Sellers, Arthur is the character fighting his way out of the dilemma, but the storytelling also focuses on developing Dev's layers. Both viewers and Arthur think Dev is "crazy" at first, but as their conversation develops, we see how Dev has been disenfranchised in his own life, often as an outsider. As Dev, actor Manpreet Bachu is surprisingly sympathetic, able to play both Dev's mental imbalance and innate brightness, hit moments of wry comedy and still convey genuine feelings of loneliness and despair. Isolated, he has turned to Arthur's books for some kind of emotional sustenance at his worst point -- but he's been waiting long enough for the next installment. Taking a cue from Arthur's heroes, Dev takes matters into his own hands.

From top to bottom, SLAVE TO THE PAGE grabs attention and goes on a rollercoaster ride, and as it dives into its tense, thrilling conclusion, it also asks thought-provoking questions about what happens when our strongest emotional connections and ties are not to people and real-life places but to characters and worlds in stories, as imperfect, slanted or removed from reality as they are. We, and Arthur, are left bereft and somber by the powerful ending, contemplating these questions and more.