By: Valerie Milano
Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) 1/11/25 – Illiteracy is a plague on humanity as evidenced by world literacy numbers:
According to the latest surveys (2020), 763 million adults worldwide were illiterate, with two-thirds of them being women and 250 million being children unable to acquire basic literacy skills. Women are less likely to be literate than men, especially in poorer countries.
While the world’s literacy rate has increased, there are still many people who are illiterate. In the United Kingdom, more than 8 million people are illiterate, a fact that filmmaker Rhys Chapman spotlights in his short film, “Ryan Can’t Read.”
It’s a story of friendship, hope and triumph over illiteracy that truly tugs at the heartstrings. Ryan (Lewis Ian Bray) is a young adult struggling with literacy, which has led to numerous social challenges that have hindered his personal and professional development. When his friend Tyrone (James Nelson-Joyce) becomes his unexpected mentor, this story takes a hopeful turn as Ryan struggles to read, but his persistence leads to a heart-warming outcome audience will truly appreciate and embrace.
Chapman, who directed the film and co-wrote the script with Bray, joined The Hollywood Times recently to talk about his film. He said the story has a very personal connection for his co-writer, who approached him during the COVID-19 Pandemic with the idea for the narrative.
See below for our exclusive interview:
“It’s essentially inspired by his own experiences,” Chapman said. “He’s dyslexic and he struggled learning to read and write, and he actually went through some of the things you see in the film as an adult.”
Chapman went on to say that the film reflects many of the techniques used by Bray and other adults who struggle with the enormous challenges of illiteracy.
“When I learned about some of the kinesthetic learning techniques that particularly helped him, I just knew that had to be shown visually on screen,” he said. “The project came to me at a time when a lot of people were suffering, there was a lot of fear and insecurity. It was an exceptionally strange time, and we saw it as the perfect opportunity to show that when you’re in times of struggle, if you throw yourself whole-heatedly into making a change, you can surprise yourself.”
Chapman had nothing but high praise for both Bray and Nelson-Joyce for their parts in telling this very hopeful story. Naturally, Bray was always the choice to play Ryan, who Chapman said, “Brought an authenticity to the role that couldn’t be replicated.”
Casting the part of Tyrone, though, was a bit more challenging, he said, as they initially thought that Tyrone’s character would be more of a father figure. That all changed once Chapman saw Nelson-Joyce
“As soon as I saw James Nelson-Joyce in ‘Time’, the BBC’s prison drama, it was like an epiphany moment of having two young Lilliputian lads, who are often misrepresented on screen. Helping one another avoid stereotypes would pack even more of a punch.”
“I was very blessed to have phenomenal actors who grounded the film in reality and added the emotional element.”
Certainly, “Ryan Can’t Read” will bring audiences to tears as they watch this young man and his friend triumph over illiteracy. Sian Rogers supervised the musical score, featuring the music of Bill Ryder-Jones, which truly adds power to the story.
“We realized that this is such an emotional story that the music would need to carry that,” Chapman said, adding that Rogers is “a great friend of mine.” As for Ryder-Jones’ music, he said he’s a longtime fan, ever since he was with the group he founded, The Coral. Chapman said the music, “really elevates the emotional portrayal of these characters’ situations. I am very grateful to have his music.”
“Ryan Can’t Read” also features Olivia Frances Brown and Alicia Forde in supporting roles. The film is produced by the award-winning Slick Films, with producer Bryony Pulizzi and associate producer Jason Lee. Rebecca Harris-Turner, Chris Overton and Mustapha Wehbi are the film’s executive producers.
The film has qualified for consideration for the 2025 Oscars.
