The Gallery (Paul Raschid’s)

Morgan Haynes is an independent art curator who holds exhibitions in the Grade II-listed Argyle Manor in London. Struggling to balance the books, Morgan has become desperate to keep the gallery from going under. The last throw of the dice is a weekend during which the gallery will showcase a high profile portrait that Morgan has acquired by conducting an illicit affair with the artist. The evening before the painting’s arrival, Morgan meets a mysterious portraitist in the gallery – Dorian. After disarming the curator with charm, Dorian begins to paint a portrait of a seated Morgan. As night falls, Morgan asks for a rain check, only for Dorian to reveal that if Morgan stands up from the chair, a pressure-sensitive bomb will detonate. Morgan is left with no choice but to let Dorian paint the portrait through the night. As the hours tick on, Morgan must communicate with the outside world over a series of phone calls in accordance with Dorian’s demands. At the same time, Morgan is forced to confront demons and fractured family issues in the face of Dorian’s ruminations about art and life. What are Dorian’s true intentions and will Morgan be able to satisfy them when the stakes rise to fatal proportions?