Trailer for British crime drama ‘Sessions’ revealed by HYPRR Films
HYPRR Films has released the trailer for Sessions ahead of the film's world premiere in London on 24 November and its digital release on 27 November. The announcement positions the project as a gritty British drama examining addiction and the fight for redemption within sesh culture.
Sessions follows Richie, played by Daniel O'Reilly, a man battling inner demons while substance abuse strains his relationships and mental health. The story centres on the hidden pressures beneath a surface of bravado and denial.
Richie's life appears ideal with a new wife, a baby on the way and a loyal best friend who amplifies the volume. Beneath that facade he hides crippling anxiety about impending fatherhood and finances, masking it through lad culture, cocaine, whiskey and denial. His friend Steve, played by Jonas Armstrong, pulls him into a high-stakes property deal with corrupt developer Leo Gregory, offering what seems like a final chance to prove himself.
The deal collapses into a nightmare. Richie loses his job, his marriage and his grip on reality. Hunted by creditor Rupert Graves and tormented by paranoia, he descends through drugs and hallucinations, clinging to the one person he believes he can trust. The film confronts toxic enabling, unspoken grief and the urgent need for men to seek help amid the male mental health crisis.
Director Giles Alderson, whose credits include Food for Thought and The Dare, captures the silent weight of these struggles and the epidemic of male suicide while offering a measure of hope for change.
Co-writer and star Daniel O'Reilly states: "I’ve poured everything into a film about a generation gripped by sesh culture. A film that holds a mirror to the men who don’t even know they’re battling their demons. That speaks for the women fighting to hold their families together. That shows men what they’re doing to themselves and their families before it’s too late. Before the shame and guilt of messing it all up becomes too much… and they choose to leave this world behind. Like I almost did. I didn’t realise I was struggling until it was nearly too late. This film would’ve changed me a lot sooner. This is my story, dramatised. Watch it and you’ll recognise it – someone you love is living it right now. This film is for them. I need them to see it. That’s why I need your help."
Director Giles Alderson says: "I’m delighted to be directing this film and working with such an incredible cast and crew on a project that has real heart. It’s an important story that needs to be told."
The ensemble cast features Daniel O'Reilly, Jonas Armstrong from The Bay, Bill Fellows from Ted Lasso, Jaime Winstone from Sumotherhood, Leo Gregory from Green Street, Preeya Kalidas from Four Lions, Percelle Ascott from Doctor Who and Rupert Graves from Sherlock, alongside Paul Smith.
Giles Alderson's full director's statement reads: "Sessions is a performance-driven psychological thriller. But beneath the witty, dark dialogue, it is a drama about a man with addictive tendencies who is struggling with machismo and where he fits in society. Addiction is serious. It grabs at you and doesn't let go. We can all hide behind lad culture or 'egging each other on,' but the ramifications are huge. Having lived it and been hurt by it, I know the effects it can have on family members, and I can say in all honesty that some bruises don't heal. My partner is a psycho-dynamic therapist, and I have been in therapy myself, so I understand firsthand the dangers and fear addiction can bring. Because of this, I needed my cast and crew to be invested heavily in the work. This comes from acting for fifteen years; I understand the vulnerability of baring your soul and the hard work it takes to deliver. Our actors fearlessly stripped back their own barriers to reach the emotional heights this film required. On set, I am their leader, teacher, therapist, and motivator and I make sure I protect them at all costs. I set out to make a film that is atmospheric, dark, eerily dreamy, and other-worldly. We tease what is real and what is not, letting the shadows and shapes of the life and death around him breathe in the corners of the frame. Sound design is vitally important to get inside Richie's head, paired with a soundtrack that needs to be banging and connect to the culture of the 'sesh.' Feeling fear is an uncomfortable watch. As are loss and grief. I want to tell this story because I believe it needs to be told. I want Sessions to engage you, rip your heart out, and leave you with an uplifting and resonating finale that will live long in the memory."
HYPRR Films is a boutique production company whose credits include Last Heist, which reached 100,000 downloads and topped the Amazon crime chart, Kindling starring BAFTA Rising Star winner Mia McKenna-Bruce, and No Way Up featuring Colm Meaney. Picture Perfect, founded in 2015 by Jeet Thakrar and Lucinda Rhodes Thakrar, has produced over 30 films including One Ranger, Boudica Queen of War and Blackwater Lane.
Distributor Hyprr Films. Digital release 27 November on Apple and Amazon. Runtime 87 mins. BBFC certificate 15. Producers: Daniel O'Reilly, Carl Shepherd, Lucinda Rhodes Thakrar. Writers: Daniel O'Reilly, Jonathan Kogan, Giles Alderson, Tobias Vees. Short synopsis: Struggling with his inner demons, Richie faces the effects of substance abuse on both his relationships and mental well-being. Cast also includes the performers named above.
