Jonnie Malachi gets surreal about comedy

Can you tell us what inspired you to make this film?

I'm keen to push into the rarified top-tier of comedy directors. I want to get the best comedy scripts and work with the most creative collaborators. I realised I had to make bold personal work to get noticed and showcase my distinctive creative brain and directorial style.

There was conflict, psychological depth and complexity. Plus, I loved the idea of a cheese sandwich grinning at me.

I hadn’t written a narrative script since directing my feature in 2016 [Breakdown], which was a bruising process, so I was keen to get back in the saddle. I was also interested in bringing concise advertising rhythms to a short… seeing if I could tell a powerful, rounded story in under two minutes.

Above: Malachi's new surreal comedy short, The Sandwich.

I’d received a number of scripts featuring inanimate objects coming to life with strong personalities. Though I've extensively merged VFX with live-action, I didn’t have anything on my reel that showed exactly that. So, it started as an exercise to bolster my commercials reel, but when making personal work you need to push the creative and make something impactful. The worst response you can get is ‘meh'.

I started looking at everything around me and wondering, if it came to life, would it be funny?

I started looking at everything around me and wondering, if it came to life, would it be funny? At the time I was making a lot of cheese sandwiches. As I sat down to nosh one, I realised if it suddenly came to life it would think I was its dad as I'd just made it, but that I would just want to eat it. There was conflict, psychological depth and complexity. Plus, I loved the idea of a cheese sandwich grinning at me. When my middle daughter started doing the incredibly cute sandwich voice, I knew I had to make it.

Above: The sandwich-maker.

Is surrealist comedy something you've always been attracted to?

Good comedy is good comedy, and humour is so personal but, at a formative age, I fell in love with the surrealist Tango ads, Traktor's early Jukka Bros work, and music videos like Where's Your Head At?. I love all types of comedy. Some surrealist comedy is too dark or simply not funny (to me), but when done right a great idea is a great ides, and they're far and few between.

When done right a great idea is a great ides, and they're far and few between.

Work you want to proudly show off usually has a great simple idea at its core; funny, bold, irreverent (and well-executed). You want people talking about and sharing it, 'cos it’s so badass, original and entertaining. It’s all about a great script and concept on the page.

What other surrealist commercials or content has inspired you?

To most peoples disbelief I haven’t watched The Might Boosh or Flight of the Concordes, but I love Toast of London, Superbad and Stepbrothers, and show my kids awesome ads like Starburst Bus Station, by Randy Krallman.

Above: Malachi fell in love with surreal spots like Tango's Slap, from 1992.

What’s been the reaction to the sandwich?

Only about 17 people have seen it but it’s been totally polarising, which I guess is exactly what I hoped for (although being a sensitive soul, people not loving your work always hurts). Some have loved it as the absurd surrealist dark comedy it is, but I was totally shocked by the fact it triggered some people quite deeply.

A super-trendy American production company I was on the cusp of signing with saw the offline and I've not heard from them since. Some close associates of mine were shook and concerned that I released it, so we crafted an alternative 'safe' version.

It’s vital for artists to be able to push the envelope and not live in fear of creating.

But, after thinking long and hard, I've decided to be brave, release the original as intended and hope there's still space in the world for creative freedom. It's ok to divide opinions, start conversations and not have to please all the people all the time. It’s vital for artists to be able to push the envelope and not live in fear of creating. My reel is full of fun commercials, which I love making, but hopefully work like The Sandwich helps demonstrate my ability to direct scripts that are more daring and surreal.

Above: Traktor's Where's Your Head At? was another formative audio-visual experience for Malachi.

Why do you think the film hasn't resonated with some people?

I think it's resonated with everybody, but some have been triggered by it. I didn’t think too hard when I wrote the script, it kinda wrote itself, but I was aware it had emotional depth in that (in my personal experience) children will forgive their parents almost anything; they crave their attention and affirmation, which is a beautiful but potentially destructive truth. I started therapy six months ago and discussed this story with my therapist, shocked to realise I was in fact The Sandwich.

Could we make Tango Slap or Jukka Bros now? And is that a good or bad thing?

Once you release a piece of art into the world you have to let it go and be okay that people's feelings about it are legitimate and their own. Even if they are totally shocking and not what you intended. I guess that's what’s fascinating and scary about being an artist.

I also think it’s easy to deride or have a problem with anything. It feels there's a fear of creating brave, bold or controversial work at the moment. Could we make Tango Slap or Jukka Bros now? And is that a good or bad thing? I don't want to offend anyone, but I do want to entertain and create memorable work in all the right ways. But you can't control everyone’s response, nor do I think it’s a bad thing to be talked about. I think fear is the creative killer.

Above: With edgy show like Squid Game being so popular, the public appetite is there for boundary-pushing entertainment.

Weird and wonderful ideas often resonate best, and remain memorable; why is surrealism not used more in advertising?

I love the surrealism of Traktor, Andreas Nilsson, Los Perez and the bombastic, dry humour of American Super Bowl spots, Old Spice and so on. Some fantastic ads are being made, but is there a fear of being creatively edgy in advertising at the moment? If so, why? Is there a legitimate fear of being cancelled? With super-edgy Netflix shows being talked about and shared, like Squid Game, and extremely creative TikTok shareable content, the public appetite is clearly there for boundary-pushing entertainment.

In my youth, ads shaped my world and imagination.

In my youth, ads shaped my world and imagination. They showed me the future, created the cultural zeitgeist and represented the best of exciting creativity. They made me. I’d love to play a part in doing the same for the next generation.

Above: Malachi is working on a short documentary about Mark Denton's six-week placement at Grey Worldwide.