From the Film Maker...

I was inspired by the combination of violence and sexuality combined with the amazing narrative within the painting.

We used warmer colours at the end such as yellow, gold and white, to show Holofernes' residence. Earlier in the piece the lighting is sharper and the colours bluer to reflect the harsh realism of her life.

We tried to echo the lighting used in the painting by creating pools of light and by isolating Judith against a black background. The final scene of the film was intended as a direct parallel to the painting. My Judith is isolated in a single shaft of golden light, and the framing is intended to mirror the painting in the way she is placed in the centre of the frame after the murder, with the dead Holofernes in front of her.

The chiaroscuro style of the painting was reflected in my choice of stark colours and a high contrast ratio. Almost every interior shot is hand-held. This was to create a feeling of intimacy and danger.

The narrative of the film is based around revenge, in its purest form. I wanted a totally believable character who would behave in an extraordinary way. I wanted to make her final action seem absolutely plausible and understandable to a modern audience. In doing so I hoped that it would perhaps make people look at the painting as a realistic event.

The story of the painting - specifically the brutal execution of Holofernes - was the motivation for my film. I wanted to re-tell almost the same story and get to the same point in time, but with a modern woman avenging the death of her husband.

I found the intense yet serene look on Judith's face as she looks back at us, having just murdered Holofernes, extremely arresting, as well as the great swirl of gold and white ruffled silk that flows through the painting. The very sexual way her back is exposed, coupled with the grotesqueness of his nudity as his decapitated neck bleeds down his arm, and the way she grips his head in her left hand, were particularly inspiring.

I love tragedy, the drama, the sadness and the violence in this painting. There is so much going on and it's a beautifully captured moment.
Julian Kerridge