Ah, the quest for a perfect life – the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect lover. In Thorsten Loos’ The Wall In The Garden, Helen and Harold appear to be living the dream.

We open on a cozy cottage, sunlight streaming through the window into a warm and inviting home. Helen’s just woken from a perfect night’s sleep. Downstairs Harold is in the kitchen brewing coffee. When Helen joins Harold for breakfast it’s clear these two are very much in love.

Ever heard the phrase ‘too good to be true’? Well, there’s something about Helen and Harold’s union that’s just a little too perfect, and it’s enough to get your heckles up. Wouldn’t you know it, out of the blue, something big happens, something that threatens to rock these two to the very core of their foundation.

A wall suddenly appears in the back garden. Thing is, it wasn’t there before. Harold first notices it in one of Helen’s very delightful works of art. When the two of them investigate outside however they discover this ain’t no ordinary brick wall. It surrounds the entire house, not only that, it’s huge – as in verging on Great Wall Of China huge. Helen wants to turn a blind eye to it, nothing is going to shake her perfect world, but Harold’s not letting it go – he wants to know how the hell a wall could just materialize out of thin air, and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it… or rather to the top of it.

So, out comes a gargantuan ladder, or two, and Harold prepares to make his ascent.

And, you’ll never guess what he finds on the other side…

No, really, you won’t guess.

With The Wall In The Garden, Thorsten Loos deftly lulls his audience into a false sense of security, leads them down the proverbial garden path, then pulls the rug out from under them in a shocking denouement you won’t see coming.

If you’re a fan of the surreal tones of The Twilight Zone, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, and The Truman Show, where everything is never as it first appears to be, you’re going to love The Wall In The Garden.

Filmmakers: Want to scale the heights to success? We predict a mad scramble for this one, so don’t be a flat-lander, get to your feet and reach for the summit.

Pages: 11

Budget: Mostly moderate. A bit of FX… but nothing huge, and definitely worth the payoff at the end!