44 Paws

A “Bumleather Originals” FILM
WRITTEN BY Matthew Innes

40-something Eric is an energetic but ageing man. Having counted himself as asexual throughout his entire adult life, he lives a near-reclusive life on Auckland's North Shore. He spends the better part of his days in his small home with his eleven pet cats. They are Eric's therapy, his routine, his white-noise-distraction from a city which is slowly leaving him behind.

But when the 30-something Bridget and Eric are caught up in a car accident, the biological lust that was never in Eric finally begins to flutter. Eric falls in love with Bridget. He loves every single thing about her. No complaints. Except, maybe, that she is terribly allergic to cats.

This oddball comedy-drama explores the boundaries of the battles; lust versus love, adoration versus tolerance, and asks just how much one should sacrifice for love.