Simon is a lonely comic strip artist with an unattainable love: Rachel, a woman he sees regularly in the grand cafe where he works on his drawings. Whenever Rachel comes into the cafe, Simon feels an irrepressible urge to put his work aside and secretly sketch portraits of her.

One day, Simon is offered a pencil by a distinguished gentleman in the back of the cafe. Simon discovers that by drawing with this pencil he has the power to change the course of his life. He uses it to win Rachel over, but is genuine love makeable?

A dark

expressionistic

love tragedy

DRAWBACK is a dark, expressionistic love tragedy with no dialogue, with internationally acclaimed actor Claes Bang in a prominent role and with authorized use of Radiohead’s masterpiece “Exit Music (For A Film)”.

Introspective, taciturn and profoundly lonely characters staring at each other, sometimes secretly, without acting on their feelings, isolated and shot in shallow focus while framed in music, light and color - that is the symbiosis with which we have brought together the message and form of DRAWBACK.

features

Every creative choice in DRAWBACK was intentional. These short films go behind the lens to explore the obsessions that shaped it.

Color Palette

Each act its own palette, every color its meaning. Executed relentlessly.

duration: 4.20 min.

Music on Set

Playing music on set had been done before. We took it to the next level - with live musicians.

duration: 4.17 min.

Pop-up Studio

Bringing a little Hollywood to Amersfoort – we built our own pop-up studio and lived in it for a year.

duration: 3.41 min.

Short Light

Capturing Rembrandt’s chiaroscuro light, including its distinctive distance, in motion pictures.

duration: 3.50 min.

behind the scenes

We built our own pop-up studio and lived in it for a year

We wanted DRAWBACK to radiate with a high level of craftsmanship and a sense of nostalgia, so DRAWBACK had to be a movie that was made in a studio environment – to make this happen, we built our own pop-up studio and lived in it for a year. We also wanted to meticulously execute the color palette for each act, and we felt a need to pay extreme attention to the use of lighting and music, not only to tell the story, but to enhance the performance of the actors on set.

In addition, Simon’s unrealistic fantasy world had to be portrayed in a subtle but inventive way by capturing the “short light” of the old masters. With a visual artist as the protagonist, it goes without saying that the film would benefit from having no dialogue, but that the images and music would speak for themselves, without pigeonholing DRAWBACK as a traditional silent movie.

Pre & Post Production

Drawing the Story

A movie about a drawing artist requires meticulous storyboarding and beautiful hand-drawn portraits.

duration: 3.54 min.

Set Building

Overcoming delays and last-minute changes we built award-winning sets, unencumbered by experience.

duration: 6.02 min.

Music & Sound Design

Creating an award-winning score through audio – a symbiosis between music and sound design.

duration: 6.31 min.

Composing & Orchestra

Without dialogue, the movie requires a composition that exudes the spirit of screenwriting.

duration: 4.50 min.

Neurosis

For a movie that needs to show meticulous attention to detail, a slightly neurotic director comes in handy.

duration: 4.07 min.

Living the Dream

From an early age, Harald has always wanted to become a filmmaker. And he dreams big.

duration: 3.26 min.

Casting

Finding the perfect actors for a poetic story takes persistence and serendipity.

duration: 5.56 min.

03 / 06

The Shoot

Day One

The key is not to let the first day be the first day. Otherwise, you will have a second first day.

duration: 3.56 min.

Untimely Finale

Shooting the apotheotic final scene at the beginning of the shoot - quite unintentionally.

duration: 3.50 min.

Louis' Whisper

What does a little cat have to do with Louis' eerie and diabolical whispering?

duration: 2.30 min.

Seasons of Love

A motion-controlled year of love and happiness resulting from a request for a long take.

duration: 3.40 min.

Night for Day

Shooting high contrast daylight shots at night with a massive amount of lighting – a gaffer’s delight.

duration: 3.43 min.

03 / 06

Founded in 2016 by Harald Swinkels, Exosphere aims at producing bold, high-quality cinema. The company focuses on intelligent, globally relevant films and series that blend artistic vision with commercial appeal.

With the capacity for large-scale productions, Exosphere stands out among new studios. Swinkels’ success in building a €500 million company brings rare business acumen to his creative leadership. Backed by top industry talent, Exosphere delivers visually striking, thought-provoking films for international audiences.

go to exosphere.com

Alwin Pulinckx

Alwin Pulinckx (Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, Odds, Tropenjaren) plays Simon, a lonely drawing artist with an unattainable love.

duration: 6.13 min.

Sallie Harmsen

Sallie Harmsen (Lucia de B., Blade Runner 2049, Heirs of the Night) plays Rachel, Simon’s unattainable love with a deep desire of her own.

duration: 2.59 min.

Claes Bang

Internationally acclaimed actor Claes Bang (The Square, Dracula, The Northman) plays Louis, the dark puppet master who preys on the desires of both Simon and Rachel.

duration: 3.16 min.

CREW

Harald Swinkels
WRITER | DIRECTOR | producer
Caroline Bevaart
Co-Director | Co-Writer | Lead Producer
Paul Lensink
Director of Photography
Monique Janse
Producer
Eva van Dorland
Producer
Jip Prudon
First Assistant Director
Kevin Whelan
Editor
Marina Wijn (C.S.A.)
Casting Director
Bob Thole
Composer
Vincent Witte
Sound Designer
Daan Thieme
Gaffer
Harald Beeker
Focus Puller
Stefanie van der Meer
Robot Camera Operator
Joost Buitenweg
Script Supervisor
Barbara van Immerseel
Set Dresser
Joost Buitenweg
Script Supervisor
Barbara van Immerseel
Set Dresser
Elysanne Schuurman
Head Wardrobe
Leonie Schuurman
Head Hair & Make-up
Marc Kubbinga
VFX Supervisor
Pablo Navarro
Lead VFX Artist
Eric de Roode
Audio on Set
Julien van Meeteren
Key Grip
Brian Krijgsman
Digital Intermediate Colourist
Frenk Meeuwsen
Storyboard Artist
Wim Dasselaar
Graphic Artist
Peter Baas
Set Photographer

music

Because DRAWBACK has no dialogue, music became one of its principal storytellers. Composer Bob Thole began scoring from an animatic before filming, allowing director Harald to shoot to music on set. For key emotional moments, the score was performed live during takes, creating a rare harmony between music, camera movement and performance.

listen to

The music