Jake Thompson on Nostalgia, Darkness, and the Art of Puppetry
For filmmaker Jake Thompson, storytelling is a blend of darkness, melancholy, and childhood wonder — the kind of emotional cocktail that lingers long after the credits roll. His latest short, born from a shared love of the cult series Inside No. 9, channels both the eerie humor of that show and the aching nostalgia of growing up in rural Wales.
“Initially, our shared love of Inside No. 9 sparked the intention of creating our own episode of this beloved series,” Jake explains. “The idea then grew and morphed, drawing from our childhood, nostalgia, melancholy, and grief that so many of us carry.” What began as a creative homage soon evolved into something deeply personal — a film that explores loss, memory, and the strange comfort of the past.
At the heart of the story lies a deceptively simple setting: a children’s birthday party. Once Jake and his collaborators decided that the entire film would unfold within that confined space, they found their hook. “We didn’t want to replicate what Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton had done,” he says, “but become inspired by it.” The party becomes a stage where innocence and darkness collide, exposing the raw emotions buried beneath nostalgia.
That feeling of longing and isolation runs deep through Jake’s work. Growing up in the Welsh countryside shaped his perspective in ways that still echo through his films. “My upbringing was isolated, and that’s had a profound effect on my adult life,” he reflects. “As a Welsh filmmaker, it’s as much about embracing the past as learning not to let it control you.” His goal was to capture what he calls “melancholy and nostalgia — that longing for the past, of childhood and fond memories — while confronting the anxieties of an uncertain future.”
Inside No. 9 may have influenced the film’s darkly comic tone, but the emotional core is universal. “We wanted the audience to be shocked, horrified, and moved,” Jake says. “There’s a heart buried deep beneath, where pain, guilt, and hate breed. I find it sad when friendships and relationships suffer crippling anguish and refuse to reconnect. Perhaps it isn’t always the solution, but everyone owes it to themselves to at least try.”
Creating that emotional complexity on screen, however, was far from easy. The project’s year-long development was marked by challenges — from set building and limited studio time to a lack of funding and manpower. But the biggest hurdle came in the edit. “When we finished the studio shoot, we tried to make it work in the edit, but so much information was missing,” Jake admits. “We decided to build and shoot an entire puppet section, on a beach, in winter, to visualise the backstory the film desperately needed. I’m glad we put in the extra work — our sheer determination paid off.”
That commitment to experimentation — particularly the use of puppetry — became one of the film’s defining features. It added a surreal, haunting layer that perfectly complemented its emotional weight.
While the film’s themes are universal, its soul remains unmistakably Welsh. “We had a majority Welsh cast and crew, and were supported by the University of South Wales,” Jake notes. “Our puppet flashbacks were filmed in Penarth, which had the exact tone and atmosphere we needed — lively, but slightly detached from the real world.”
And though this film balances both local texture and global resonance, Jake’s eyes are already on what’s next. “For our next project we’re fully embracing Welsh identity and culture,” he teases. “It’s a romantic drama set in the Valleys, told over the course of forty years — it’s extremely exciting, and we can’t wait to share more.”
With his blend of genre experimentation, emotional honesty, and a distinctly Welsh sensibility, Jake Thompson continues to prove that some of the most striking stories come from the places we know best — and the memories we can’t quite let go.
#MADE-IN-WALES is part of FFilmic’s ongoing series celebrating emerging voices from Wales — spotlighting the filmmakers, stories, and creative visions shaping the nation’s cinematic future.