An action-figure maker’s outsized tribute to his late brother

After a restless search, David McGurk found his creative outlet in an unexpected medium: handcrafted action figures. Made at a prolific pace, these small, meticulous objects form a growing constellation of tributes – to cultural icons, beloved characters and the personal influences that shaped him. In this short portrait, the Scottish filmmaker Blair Stewart follows McGurk as he creates, for the first time, a figure of the most influential person in his life: his late brother, Stephen. A singular presence with boundless creativity, Stephen was the one who first taught McGurk to make figurines, using ingenious, homemade methods they devised together as children. Interweaving footage of his careful process with McGurk’s recollections, the film gradually opens into a reflection on memory and loss. The 1980s-inspired figures evolve beyond nostalgic artefacts, becoming a means for McGurk to stay connected to his brother, and allowing their shared creative bond to endure.