Director's Works
Sam Browne, Just A Boy Edie Amos
Driven by her desire for connection and visual eye Edie has always wanted to make films that move and inspire people. With a particular interest in interrogating subjects such as teenhood, mental health, relationships and family. She is drawn to telling stories that highlight the inherent similarities between people, exploring the shared human experience.
With a track record of collaborating with renowned music artists such as Coldplay, Stormzy, Little Simz, and Ed Sheeran, she has solidified her position as a sought-after director in live music capture. The creativity and bold visual imagery of her music films has inspired and armed her with a signature creative style, that she carries through to the rest of her work.
Just A Boy is a tender, visually arresting short film in which spoken-word artist Sam Browne confronts the male loneliness and mental-health epidemic with blistering honesty.
Shot on 16mm Kodak and directed by Edie Amos, the film weaves together Sam’s viral poems ‘Ben’s Purpose’, ‘The CEO Mindset’ and 'Flowers' with his own lived experience as a young man once pulled into the toxic currents of the manosphere. Now reformed, he uses poetry to chart a different path: one rooted in empathy, vulnerability, and genuine brotherhood.
Through Sam’s reflective narration, Just A Boy illuminates the quiet crises shaping men’s lives today - alienation, purposelessness, misogyny, and the commodification of male despair online.
In it, Sam speaks candidly about the period in which he battled multiple mental-health challenges while consuming the content of hyper-masculine influencers, violent media, and extremist material. His turning point arrived when he realised he was being caught up in a system that needed young men to feel lonely: “I realised pretty quickly that I had no choice but to speak about it.”
The film also captures the everyday intimacy often missing from male friendships. A simple Friday night spent playing video games with a friend becomes a revelation: purpose can live in shared moments, not performative toughness. As Sam notes, “Men can solve the male loneliness problem by being better friends to each other. Our responsibility is to be there for the boys.”
Produced by After Party Studios, Just A Boy offers an alternative narrative for young men growing up online - one that champions compassion over cynicism. For Sam, the film’s mission is simple: “Check up on the men in your life. Tell him you love him. Buy him flowers. Make a positive impact today, before it’s too late.”
Director Edie Amos brings her signature sensitivity and visually unforgettable style to themes of identity, youth, and connection. She says “From the moment I discovered Sam’s work, I knew I wanted to make a film with him. In a world overflowing with information and confusion, he brings clarity and humanity to a deeply complex issue. It felt like a story that simply had to be told. ”
