Three thugs attempting to rob a petrol station are suddenly interrupted by the unlikeliest of heroes – a couple of stoners with a serious case of the munchies – in this dark comedic thriller. Fresh out of film school, writer and director Luke Davies, shows us how a simple case of miscommunication can make for a heart-pounding tale that is sure to make you laugh out of nervousness and incredulity. The next 7 minutes will keep you on your toes until the very end.

The film stars none other than Game of Thrones’ Josef Altin, who delivers a convincing performance of someone attempting to rise above their pushover-status. The result is a loud tantrum over a cell phone that unbeknownst to him, happens to uncannily coincide with a one-sided conversation an aggressive robber has with him while his back is turned. The juxtaposition between such grave peril and the concerns of a few oblivious stoners makes for an entertaining watch. The sheer ridiculousness of the situation is comical and craftily executed by Davies.

Davies, fascinated by the concept of an anti-hero, used one of his own friends as inspiration for ‘Milo’ [Altin]. “A close friend of mine is incredibly paranoid and hates being in any sort of confrontational situation. Physically he’s small, weak, and slightly on the tubby side. Basically he’s the polar opposite of a traditional hero. The idea for this film came from challenging myself to think up a story where a character like this could be the hero and save the day.”

The film was shot over the course of two nights at a West London petrol station, which actually remained open for business despite filming. Davies explained to us how he fully embraced the “run and gun” shooting style. “We had on average about 15 minutes per shot, including rehearsals! It is without doubt the most hectic, tumultuous shoot I’ve ever been involved in. Luckily the whole crew were fellow film school peers, everyone just got on board and got on with it.”

Davies is a promising new talent and has seen Unleaded become an official selection of 7 film festivals including the Seattle International Film Festival. He is currently working on music videos and branded content, but we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for more great shorts from him in the future!