Release

Following the searing urban drama Shank , the Bristol, England-based creative team have returned with Release , an equally intense and powerful love story set in a hellish men’s prison. Jack Gillie (Daniel Brocklebank), a young priest convicted of a serious crime, is incarcerated. Angry that his church has abandoned him, he suffers from a lapse of his faith. Yet he attempts to help and befriend his vulnerable cellmate Rook (Wayne Virgo). But no amount of comfort can protect Rook (and eventually the priest) from the threatened violence from one particular sadistic inmate. It’s a volatile atmosphere; the guards either complacent or on the side of the thugs, the female warden is more concerned about power and sex than in maintaining control and the restless inmates Amidst all of this, Jack’s only beam of hope comes in the form of prison guard Martin (Garry Summers) with whom he begins a passionate but clandestine affair. When tensions rise and violence explodes within the walls, both men’s dreams of escaping together are threatened. Not your usually light weight gay indie, Release makes for a visceral, gut-wrenching affair touching on the subjects of justice, retribution, repression, religion and love.