Kildare screenwriter takes anime-film world by storm

An anime-influenced psychological horror film written by a Kildare screenwriter is set to take the animation world by storm.

'Grief Doll' (formerly titled 'Echo Chamber') is the new feature film by Naas native, Adam Cullen - the harrowing tale of two estranged sisters tormented by the grief of their mother's death.

Already making waves in film circles, 'Grief Doll' has just been featured in Variety as part of its coverage of the Finnish Film Affair in Helsinki.

Directed by Finnish filmmaker Juha Fiilin, the film is currently taking part in the inaugural Nordic Genre Lab.

Growing up in Naas, Adam has been working professionally as a writer for more than ten years, across Irish and international television and film.

The Kildare writer has worn many hats in his varied work history – he has worked as a musician (he holds a Phd in Music Theory and Composition from Dublin City University); he has worked as a singer/songwriter, comedian, but primarily works in animation.

Speaking of how he first got involved in screenwriting, Adam says: “I was trying to write my own material for a sitcom, and I wrote a short animated movie which was funded by Kildare County Council, called 'Talker' back in 2016 or so.

“I was studying screenwriting, and was friends with a teacher of mine who saw some of the work I was doing and offered me some work on shows where he was the head writer.”

“I went to college for music, I did a bachelor's and a master's, then I went to DCU some time later to further my education. Formal training in screenwriting was courses I was taking here and there.”

'Grief Doll' has been a labour of love for Adam, who has worked on the project the past two years.

Speaking about the plot of his latest work, Adam says: “'Grief Doll' is an animated horror that sees two sisters who are recently bereaved; their mother died in a house fire and they are not handling the grief well at all, they become estranged through it.

“The younger is neuro-divergent, autistic, and the older just finds it too painful to be around someone with care needs while she's trying to grieve, so she's kind of abandoned her.

“They're brought together by this horror-curse situation, where they have to travel to their mother's grave by a certain time, and along the way anyone that comes close to them transforms into this scary, oppressive monster.

“So they have to both do this together or else they're both in danger, and the older sister in particular gets a chance to experience what it's like to go through the grief with the person she should be going through it with.”

'Grief Doll' came about through Adam's work with Finnish director/producer Juha Fiilin, when the latter was seeking writers for the film 'Joy Eternal' (2023), for which Adam became the main writer.

'Grief Doll', Adam explains, came later largely “by accident.” The film was been perfected countless times over the last two years – even going through a name change - and eventually resulting in the final product we see today.

Whatever Adam chooses to work on next, though, it will undoubtedly be something to get animated about.