‘It’s almost normal, but not quite’: Young filmmaker puts Banbury on the big screen with new dark comedy film

Henry Goater, from Cropredy, premiered his new film, Banbury Conundrum, at The Light Banbury on Wednesday, August 19.

A packed audience attended the one-off screening of the 40-minute independent film, which was described by some viewers as “equal parts humorous and unnerving”.

Henry, 21, said he first came up with the idea for the film in November 2024, after completing his creative media studies course at Banbury and Bicester College.

He said: “At first, it was more of a feeling and a vibe than an actual story.”

Shot and set entirely in Banbury, Cropredy and the surrounding countryside, the film features stunning countryside shots alongside footage of the town, including drone footage of the JDE coffee factory.

The short film features a small cast and follows two central characters, played by young actors Darshan Biersack and Kai Smith, as they navigate a series of peculiar goings-on in Banbury.

Henry said the film deliberately does not give the audience all the answers, keeping viewers guessing throughout.

He added: “The film starts and the audience have no idea what is going on. It’s almost a normal story but not quite.

“There’s no real exposition as such. You just watch it, and all these sorts of scenes that at first seem random, create a story.”

Banbury Conundrum was filmed and produced by Henry with a small team of friends, family members and other young creatives.

“We all became producers and had to help out in different ways,” Henry said.

Filming was not without its challenges, with the team having to adapt to actors being unavailable, heavy rain affecting scenes and concerns about protecting their equipment from potential thieves.

Despite the challenges, Henry said the experience of directing and releasing his first film was “overall a really fun experience, which brought the team together”.

Oscar Poulton, who worked on the boom microphone and also helped with camera direction, praised Henry for the production.

He said: “Henry is the man of the day. I’m very proud of him for making this film. It’s been two years in the making and it looks great.”

Henry said the film was influenced by the work of Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, as well as the television series Inside No. 9 and Black Mirror.

He says, similar to these productions, he hopes audiences will be left questioning what they have just watched.

Following its successful premiere, Henry and the team have another screening planned in Cropredy on September 12.

The film has also been made available to watch for free on YouTube.

For Henry, the project marks the culmination of an interest in filmmaking that began when he was young, inspired in part by watching Doctor Who and its behind-the-scenes programmes.

He is now preparing to attend Lancaster University, where he intends to continue his filmmaking studies, but hopes the release of Banbury Conundrum will give audiences a taste of his distinctive approach to filmmaking.