"LIFE COACH" Announced
- Presidential Productions
- Jul 1, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 12
New Short Film from Presidential Productions
Australian filmmaker James Cunningham has announced his latest short film project, Life Coach, a tightly controlled psychological drama that interrogates the language of deceit and heavy weight of guilt. Produced by Presidential Productions, the film marks a continuation of Cunningham’s acclaimed exploration of masculinity, male vulnerability and power dynamics in contemporary life.
Described by its production team as 'a thriller without a villain,' the original script for Life Coach follows Eli, a 29-year-old Muay Thai instructor living alone in Sydney, whose search for confidence leads him to an online life-coaching platform. What begins as structured encouragement and goal-setting gradually shifts into something far more sinister, as Eli’s unseen 'Coach' uses language, reassurance and trust to quietly assume control. The film unfolds entirely through on-screen text messages, positioning language itself as the primary site of tension and threat.
Cunningham explains the decision to present the story exclusively through text was central to the project’s conception. "In an time where relationships, guidance and authority are increasingly mediated through our screens and apps, this story reflects how intimacy can be manufactured without a physical presence, accountability or transparency," the filmmaker explains.
Rather than portraying overt violence or spectacle, Life Coach focuses on the subtle erosion of agency. The antagonist is never seen, named or heard; the danger lies entirely in tone, phrasing and suggestion. By stripping the drama back to its most minimal elements, Cunningham aims to invite audiences to project their own experiences and assumptions onto the story, implicating the viewer in the power dynamic unfolding on screen.
Life Coach continues Cunningham’s thematic interest in masculinity outside traditional narratives of dominance or aggression. Like Presidential Productions previous films Beneath the Waves (2018), The Assignment (2022) and Savage Sands (2024), this exciting new film examines how strength and discipline can coexist with shame, self-surveillance and emotional isolation. With Life Coach, Cunningham signals another bold, intimate work that reflects the psychological realities of contemporary male identity in the digital age.
Life Coach is currently in pre-production.
