The Death and Life of Otto Bloom

The Death and Life of Otto Bloom is an Australian fictional documentary, drama film written and directed by Cris Jones, starring Xavier Samuel, Rachel Ward and Matilda Brown. The film is produced by Alicia Brown, Mish Armstrong and Melanie Coombs.

The film had its premiere at, and opened, the 65th Melbourne International Film Festival on 28 July 2016.

Plot

The chronicle of the life and great love of Otto Bloom, an extraordinary man who experiences time in reverse - passing backwards through the years only remembering the future.

Cast

• Xavier Samuel as Otto Bloom
• Rachel Ward as Ada
• Matilda Brown as Young Ada
• Rose Riley as Suzi Noon
• Terry Camilleri as Bob Simkin
• Amber Clayton as Nora Baron
• Jacek Koman as Miroslaw Kotok
• Tyler Coppin as J.C. Tippit
• Suzy Cato-Gashler as Nell Allen
• John Gaden as Prof. Charles Reinier
• Richard Cawthorne as Duane Renaud
• Jason Agius as Young Simkin

Production

Development

Jones cites Albert Einstein's perspective of time as a source of inspiration for the film, explaining "that the perception we are moving forward through time is an illusion. Time is just another dimension of the physical universe, and every moment is therefore simultaneously real... It was a fascinating idea and a powerful philosophy for me, because there's a lot of consolation that comes with it. At the time I started thinking about this, I had lost someone that I loved, and the idea gave me some hope and positivity... I was looking for a story in which you could take this philosophy and a positive message and tell it as a film. The idea of how to do it came several years later."^[1]

Filming

The film was shot in January 2016 in and around Melbourne.^[2]

Release

The Death and Life of Otto Bloom premiered at, and opened, the 65th Melbourne International Film Festival on 28 July 2016.^[3]

References