26th Hour
Written by Maisie Frater
Directed by Mackie Reyes
‘26th Hour’ explores the reality of life when our stigmatised truths are dared to be unearthed. Offbeat and emotional, the narrative confronts the uncomfortable truths about ourselves. Our protagonist serves to shed light on the way we all delude ourselves, perpetuating the cycle of lies we subsequently feed ourselves.
DOP | NY Jees
AD | Ben Tench
Costume and Production Designer | Maisie Frater
Script Supervisor | Emily Adderson
Photographer | Callum Blacoe
View my work on 26th Hour @shortfilmtwentysixthhour
Mood boards
For 26th Hour, I was drawn to this idea of an overly perfect, almost too-beautiful setting, where everything looks flawless on the surface. It highlights how messy and extreme the characters’ private lives really are underneath. The public vs the private. I was interested to explore how people can keep up appearances even when everything’s falling apart inside.
Storyboarding
Props
Made to resemble childhood play food, these wooden props reflect the protagonist’s distorted perception of nourishment—artificial, detached. Though they mimic real food, they symbolise how bulimia fractures the link between inner experience and external reality from an early age. Through the protagonist’s lens, the food is lifeless and wooden, while to others, it remains real, emphasising the dissonance between perception and reality.
Costume
I was interested in exploring costume indicating a middle-class setting. It felt interesting in this context because it offers a quieter, more insidious kind of tension—one built on denial, image management, and emotional avoidance. Creating a world which appeared aesthetically idealised yet pain is hidden behind politeness, achievement, and order, making the protagonist’s suffering feel more isolated and unspoken.
