Giles Chan's Jellyfish was one of the cinematic revelations that I experienced during 2025. It's a film about a man, Henry, played with grounded depression by Aidan Rynne, who earns money by being a human punching bag. His body is riddled with bruises, most inflicted by others, some inflicted by himself. He's a jellyfish of a person, consuming enough to survive, but otherwise floating through Perth on a journey to nothing.
After one paid beating, he meets Maddy (Orly Beringer), and sparks a bond, of sorts. Yet, it's a relationship that doesn't last long. I'm reminded of the song Rosemary Mushrooms by Jack Davies & the Bush Chooks, which in the dissolution of the bond in that song he wails: 'How can I love somebody if I'm frightened of myself?'
Jellyfish left a mark on me, a similar mark in the way that Giles' short film Interview did when that screened at Perth's Revelation Film Festival. That short film explores how the capitalistic society we live in restricts any sense of self, with people being pushed into a box of servitude.
In this conversation, recorded ahead of the Revelation Film Festival in July, and being released today to honour Jellyfish's inclusion in my annual Best Australian Films of 2025 list, Giles talks about his journey into filmmaking, the literalisation of emotions in his films, and the presentation of pain on screen.
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