A terrific show for you this week on BEHIND THE LENS as you’re about to hear from two directors of whose work I am a huge admirer and have been for years, both whom I love chatting with, and each with a new film out - NEIL MARSHALL joins me to discuss his new psychological erotic thriller COMPULSON, while BRANDON SLAGLE is back with me for the 5th or 6th time talking about his latest, the powerhouse martial arts-action-sci-fi film AFFINITY.

But first, we’ve got director BRANDON SLAGLE discussing his latest film, AFFINITY. I always love chatting with Brandon, and as he correctly remembered and reminded me, our first interview for “Frost” was more than 90 minutes long. Sadly, the publicist for this interview didn’t schedule us with nearly enough time, but Brandon and I always work with what we’ve got! Since then, we’ve chatted about “The Flood”, “Breakout”, “Battle for Saipan”, and more. But what excites me today is that we’re talking about AFFINITY, which pushes Brandon’s skills into a genre blend and shows us a completely different and wonderful side of his talents.

Set and shot in Bangkok, Thailand, AFFINITY stars Chilean martial-arts star Marko Zaror as Bruno, an ex-SEAL struggling with PTSD. He lives a life in fear of his demons until one day, when he discovers a beautiful woman named Athena with no past of her own. Together they begin to build a life, but when she disappears, Bruno must return to his violent past if he’s going to save her from a shocking conspiracy.

Directed by Brandon and written by Gina Aguad, Christopher M. Don, Liam O'Neil, and Marko Zaror, with the story by Marko, AFFINITY stars Marko Zaror, Louis Mandylor, Brooke Ence, and Jane Murro.

As to be expected in a Brandon Slagle film, the action is fast-paced, intense, and riveting, but what makes this film differ from Brandon’s prior works is this action-sci-fi genre blend which is something Marko is passionate about, and the emotional poignancy of the story, not to mention a superb use of color and vibrancy in the film’s visual tonal bandwidth.

As we dive into AFFINITY, we explore the visual grammar and Brandon’s work with his cinematographer Niccolo de la Fere, who is always fantastic with lighting and lensing. Some of you may recognize Nico’s name as he was also DP on Christian Sesma’s shark film INTO THE DEEP, which Christian and I discussed, as well as editor Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, who directed and edited the action-packed martial arts film DIABLO starring Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror, for which Ernesto and I had a wonderful in-depth chat.

For AFFINITY, Brandon explained that in designing the visual grammar and color palette, he and Nicolo wanted to present Bangkok not just as a stand-in for another city, but to authentically show its diverse facets—from working-class neighborhoods to extreme wealth. The color tones and visual style were intentionally crafted to set the mood and, importantly, to place the film slightly "out of time," as if set in the near future. The palette and camera work reinforce both emotional beats and the narrative, with the collaboration between Brandon and Niccolo focusing on making the visuals integral to the storytelling and atmosphere.

As you’ll hear Brandon discuss, editing is so important to him in his films, and having Ernesto on AFFINITY was key to the editing process. We also dive into the emotional dynamic between the characters of Bruno and Athena, which really showcases a previously unseen depth in Zaror’s acting. And how about some lighter, even comedic moments from Louis Mandylor, something we’ve not seen in all of his collaborations with Brandon.

A film with a unique visual style, emotional depth, and some very unexpected twists, take a listen as director BRANDON SLAGLE talks about it all!

Then say hello to another director who has spread his visionary wings and stepped somewhat outside of the box from what we have come to expect from him - NEIL MARSHALL. I have long loved Neil’s work, going back some 20+ years to “The Descent” and “Centurion” and up through his episodic television work, with “Black Sails”, “Game of Thrones”, “Westworld” ,and more. Known for action and thrills, with COMPULSION, Neil now delves into a genre meld that we haven’t seen from him before - the psychological erotic giallo thriller with a film noir vibe, complete with a 21st century femme fatale, murder mysteries, an exotic location, and plenty of bloodshed. COMPULSION is positively delicious.

Inspired by Neil’s admiration for erotic thrillers of the 1980s and 1990s such as “Fatal Attraction” and “Basic Instinct”, something woefully missing from cinema today, he out to blend the sensuous, suspenseful style of those films with an homage to giallo—a genre of stylish Italian thriller/horror movies—resulting in Compulsion's unique mix of erotic thriller and murder mystery elements. The inspiration to set the story in a visually distinct locale was also influenced by his desire to film somewhere bright and warm, ultimately leading to Malta, which further shaped the film’s visual and narrative style

Written and directed by NEIL MARSHALL, COMPULSION focuses on the story of a young woman’s visit to her stepfather’s villa in Malta that spirals into danger when she’s targeted by con artists and a violent murder forces her into a deadly cover-up. As a local detective closes in, trust cracks and dark secrets are exposed. The film stars Anna-Maria Sieklucka, Charlotte Kirk, Zach McGowan, Giulia Garietti, and Harvey Dean.

As we delve into this production, we discuss the film’s strong female characters and equally strong performances, something I believe is a trademark of Neil’s, along with the blend of erotic thriller and giallo elements. Of course, we talk about his three leading ladies and his casting of them, along with bringing in Zach McGowan and Harvey Dean for a bit of male testosterone.

As you’ll hear, Neil and his cinematographer Ali Asad leverage Malta’s unique architecture and light to paint a rich, lustrous tapestry on which his actors get to play. An interesting element of our conversation involves Neil’s insistence on practical in-camera effects, which impacted the shooting location. As with many shoots in “ancient” or centuries-old locations, quite often extra care must be taken with the properties and homes used for the filming, often requiring false walls and ceilings to not damage the existing interior structure. Neil lucked out with COMPULSION and found a perfect stone residence to serve as Evie’s millionaire father’s home, and one which the owners weren’t opposed to being blood-soaked on the stone walls and marble floors, which was particularly important for one 6-minute scene in particular. A fight sequence was filmed in one shot to preserve continuity and intensity. And as you’ll hear Neil describe, it resulted in the marble floor becoming extremely slippery with fake blood, so the fight was carefully choreographed to keep all actors down on the ground, avoiding injuries and making the scene feel like “mud wrestling with blood.” This also impacted how DP Ali Asad also lit and lensed the scene. Other similar scenes with practical effects also impacted the camera’s approach. Neil also talks about shooting erotic sequences, something new to him.

Another key aspect of the film is the sound design and synth score, which subconsciously adds tension and terror to the unfolding murder mysteries. And how about some plot twists that will have you jump out of your chair? Take a listen as NEIL MARSHALL talks about all of this and more.