Two TVO faces, in the shape of Alice Lowe and Rachel Stubbings, feature in a new short film called Mosquito.

The narrative tells the bizarre story of a man whose life is transformed as a result of a mosquito bite. Experimental in tone and content, the film includes some nicely nuanced, deeply dark comedy performances.

The short was directed by BAFTA-nominated Ben Mallaby and written by Writer Michael Spicer, who also acts in the film. The collaboration came about after Ben saw Michael in Rec.601, a sketch with Rachel which we covered on The Velvet Onion a while back.

Michael spoke to us about working with the two comedians: “Working with Alice was surreal but brilliant. Surreal because I’ve seen and heard just about everything she’s been in, and brilliant because her performance was effortless and pitch-perfect. Rachel, as usual, was extremely good and great fun to be around; she gave the whole crew a lift – something that all crews need once in a while. She’s destined for greatness, that one.”

Ben and Michael’s ultimate goal is to develop Mosquito into a feature length film. In the meantime, you can watch the trailer below. The 10-minute short will be screened in full at comedy film night Shooting the Breeze (hosted by Rachel) at Shortwave Cinema on 17th September; tickets and information here.

You can see more of Ben Mallaby’s work here, and more of Michael Spicer’s work there. Enjoy!