Masters and Vices
| Masters and Vices | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Gregory Mallard |
| Produced by | Gregory Mallard |
| Written by | Gregory Mallard |
| Starring | |
| Music by | |
| Cinematography | Jason Yip |
| Edited by |
|
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
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Masters and Vices is a 2025 British independent psychological drama film, written, directed and produced by Gregory Mallard. The storyline follows the character arc of Stan, who is fired from work due to sexual harassment and goes on a journey of self-improvement and recovery which eventually brings him back into the job market, along with becoming an upstanding member of society.
Plot
Stan Ingvarsson works as a Credit Control Supervisor at a London-based motor insurance broker. He wakes up and narrates his chronic porn addiction. He goes on to have breakfast whilst charging his laptop. Once Stan realises the time, he rushes to work, and is later scolded by his manager Steve for being late.
Gemma Lavene, a new payroll assistant at the broker is given a tour of the workplace building on her first day. Meanwhile, Stan is seen passively winding up a customer over the telephone and begins to use lewd language in an exchange with his colleague Lucy over the office floor.
As Stan makes his way to a scheduled training session for new employees, he asks the new compliance intern an inappropriate rhetorical question which causes her to walk away. During the new training session, Gemma is accidentally walked into the already booked meeting room with Stan present. Stan stares at Gemma who is then beckoned away to complete her tour of the building. During lunchtime that day, Gemma sits beside Stan who proceeds to make sexual advances towards her. After rejecting Stan’s advances and leaving the canteen, Stan publicly shouts at her causing other employees to notice the altercation.
During the next working day, we see that, unbeknownst to Stan, his mobile phone is infected with malware - most likely caused from the content he has watched the night before. Stan is called into the Finance Director's office where he is advised that his employment is terminated with immediate effect. Stan goes to find solace in a local bar to reflect on the next steps going forward. Stan’s mobile phone’s internet homepage is re-directed to an explicit site causing the bar waiter to ask Stan to leave. At a mobile phone store, Stan is advised by the store manager that his only option would be to buy a new phone.
During a visit to a recruitment agency, Stan is advised that finding a job with any respectable broker would be very difficult and is recommended to apply for jobseeker’s allowance. Gemma’s boyfriend acts as a deliveryman as a 'front' to gain Stan's trust in order to gain entry to his house. From there, he proceeds to beat Stan up to avenge Gemma. Stan, who has now hit ‘rock bottom’ meets his friend Eric who advises him to abstain from porn, masturbation or orgasm for 90 days as a means of mastering self-control.
Following various relapses, Stan fully commits to the 90-day challenge, applying to London-based jobs in the process. After 90 days, Stan is called for an interview at a motor insurance broker. During the interview, Stan is honest with the challenges experienced at his old workplace and how he has overcome his addiction. When Stan returns to his property, he is called by the recruitment agent who tells him that he has got the job. The film ends with Stan walking towards his new workplace building.[1]
Core cast
- Gregory Mallard as Stan Ingvarsson
- Natalie Anson-Wright as Gemma Lavene
- Mackintosh Muggleton as Eric
- Reena Diana Black as Lucy
- Nicola Walton as Karen
- Casey Jones as Derek
- Jethro Dykes as Collin
- Daryl Bestford as Charles
- Ian Sanderson as Steve
Production
Development
Mallard began writing the script for the film during the 1st national COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.
Pre-production
Pre-production began on 11th October 2020. Jason Yip was officially brought on board as Director of Photography on 14th November 2020 and various supporting actors were cast shortly after.
Filming
Principal photography began on 29th November 2020. All of Masters and Vices was filmed on location in London, England, United Kingdom.
Post-production
Post-production began on 13th October 2024.[1]
Marketing
The Official Teaser poster for Masters and Vices was released for public viewing on IMDb on 22nd March 2022. Mallard released a sneak peek behind the scenes footage of a fight rehearsal on his YouTube channel on 20th May 2024 to raise awareness of the film’s production. The Official Teaser Trailer for the film was released for public viewing on YouTube on 21st April 2025, followed by the Official Main Trailer being released on 14th June 2025. The 2nd Official Trailer was released on 11th June 2025 and is termed ‘Recruitment Hell’ as it focuses on the difficulty of the protagonist in obtaining a job after their employment is terminated. The 3rd (final trailer) was released on 4th August 2025 and revolves around Stan’s GP appointment. The Official film poster was released for public viewing on IMDb on 8th August 2025.
Composer Dinos Dimou was brought on board to contribute the musical score for the Official Teaser Trailer, Main Official Trailer and 2nd Official Trailer. The music used is as follows: ‘Uranus’ (Official Teaser Trailer), ‘The Last Stand’ (Official Main Trailer), and ‘Mars’ (Official Trailer 2). Nathaniel Friesen’s ‘Valor’ was used as the background instrumental for the 3rd Official Trailer.[1][2]
Music
The film features an international selection of composers. The film’s title credits feature the music of Herman Beeftink. The end credits crawl music is composed by Greg Hosterman. The main film contains pieces by Adrián Berenguer, Vartan Vahramian and Artur Bobikyan. The 90-day self-improvement sequence features ‘Superhero Showdown’ as a background instrumental. The song is written by Bret Autrey and performed by Blue Stahli.[1]
Release
The final cut of the film was released for public viewing on YouTube on 22nd August 2025.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Masters and Vices". FilmFreeway.
- ↑ "Gregory Mallard". YouTube.
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