‘Trainspotting’ Star Robert Carlyle Directing Short Film ‘Three’

“Trainspotting” and “The Full Monty” star Robert Carlyle is returning to the director’s chair with the short film “Three.”

The short is led by Victoria Hamilton (“The Crown”), Isaac Gryn (“The Performance”) and Nicholas Rowe (“Young Sherlock”) and marks Carlyle’s first directorial effort since his debut in 2015 with “The Legend of Barney Thomson.”

“Three” follows a young man named Matt (Gryn), “who is invited into the home of a wealthy older couple for late-night drinks,” according to the film’s synopsis. “As the conversation deepens and the mood shifts, a tense and seductive game of control begins to unfold, revealing uncomfortable truths about power, sex and privilege.”

Co-written by Gryn and Patrick McPherson (“The Man”), “Three” has just wrapped post-production (see behind-the-scene photos taken by Anaïs Gallagher below) and is now being submitted to international film festivals. It serves as a proof-of-concept for a feature that is currently in development.

Carlyle and Gryn had worked together on “The Performance,” and Gryn originally asked him to play the part of Ed, half of the wealthy couple. But after reading the script, Carlyle felt called to direct instead.

“I could instantly see the possibilities and felt that with right cast and crew we might be able to make something quite interesting,” Carlyle said in a statement. “I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who took part on ‘Three.’ I think this film is a testament to the hard work and desire of a hugely talented team of filmmakers — to attempt to put something captivating on screen they could be proud of and to show the strength and solidarity of the people working within the U.K. film industry.”

“Three” is produced by Gryn under his new banner Three Productions, as well as Stefan Demetriou for Aldgate Pictures. Luke Schiller (“The Souvenir” and “The Souvenir Part II”) is executive producing.

The short reunites Carlyle with his “Legend of Barney Thomson” cinematographer Fabian Wagner (“Justice League”), and its post-production team includes editor Jon Harris (“127 Hours,” “28 Days Later”) BAFTA-winning sound designer Howard Bargroff (“Civil War,” “Sherlock”) and production designer Danielle Bayliss.

“We wanted to make something raw, darkly funny and deliberately uncomfortable,” Gryn added. “‘Three’ explores how different people construct their own logic around desire, power and consent — how those private ideas can take over us and force us to battle, seduce or unravel. Robert Carlyle brought all his experience to create something profound, cheeky and disturbing, aiding the start of an ongoing collaboration between Patrick and me as we develop our shared voice as writers. The feature takes this short into a completely new gear, sitting somewhere between the genius ‘Suspiria’ and ‘All of Us Strangers.’”