Stutterer

2015 0h 13m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 96

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A lonely typographer with a cruel speech impediment but an eloquent inner voice must face his greatest fear.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Matthew Needham
Greenwood Carsen
Chloe Pirrie
Ellie Parks
Eric Richard
Greenwood's Dad
Richard Mason
Angry boyfriend
Sophie Ellerby
Girlfriend
Calum Sivyer
Teenage boy
Sophie Cotton
Charity worker

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Benjamin Cleary
Writers: Benjamin Cleary, Benjamin Cleary
Languages: English
Countries: Ireland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 13-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Benjamin Cleary, shot by Michael Paleodimos. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nico Casal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Benjamin Cleary shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Matthew Needham and Chloe Pirrie and Eric Richard carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4817576 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 96 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Benjamin Cleary directs. Michael Paleodimos behind the camera. Nico Casal scores. Benjamin Cleary cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Ireland. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 13-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 11 years ago.
3Directed by Benjamin Cleary, shot by Michael Paleodimos. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Nico Casal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Benjamin Cleary shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Matthew Needham and Chloe Pirrie and Eric Richard carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt4817576 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 96 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael Paleodimos
Original score: Nico Casal
Editing: Benjamin Cleary
Production design: Russell De Rozario
Makeup / hair: Nina Igbino
Sound: Gustaf Jackson
Runtime: 13 min · 0h 13m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Stutterer (2015)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Benjamin Cleary

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-01-16
★ 7/10
An attractively tousled young typesetter (Matthew Needham) lives with his dad (Eric Richard) and has been having a six-month long online chat with "Ellie” (Chloe Pirrie). Why make a film about him? Well he stutters. Making himself verbally understood in an impatient world is nigh on impossible, and with the exception of his father he chats to nobody - preferring on occasion to pretend he is mute. Then “Ellie” announces that she is coming to London and wants to meet. Clearly their chat hasn’t revealed that he has difficulties with his speech and so he faces a crisis. Does he meet and risk disappointing her or does he feign some excuse? On the other hand, who's to say that perhaps she hasn’t secrets of her own? Can he find the courage? I found this to be a really quite poignant glimpse into a world where one of our most basic communication skills is unavailable and it’s unnerving to watch. To think of just how much of our lives depends on our abilities to speak - face to face or on the phone, and to be unable could be devastating to anyone’s confidence and induce, as the lad himself explains, a degree of introspection and even self-pity. I’m not sure I loved the ending, but the topic is explored here in an engagingly thought-provoking and personal fashion and this is well worth an quarter of your hour.

Production companies