“I was fascinated by the idea of someone indispensable but invisible, a person whose entire existence is built around not being seen, not being known—and what happens when that armour starts to crack,” says screenwriter Justin Piasecki of Relay, a chilling meditation on anonymity, trust, and the cost of staying hidden in a world where digital footprints betray even the most cautious.
Relay is directed by David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water), written by Justin Piasecki.
The film draws inspiration from classic paranoid thrillers of the 1970s, like Three Days of the Condor, The Parallax View, and Michael Clayton—films steeped in corporate intrigue, shadowy surveillance, and morally ambiguous protagonists.
Mackenzie was particularly drawn to the idea of a character who operates in near-total isolation, using outdated communication methods like relay services and mail forwarding to avoid digital tracking.
“I’m always interested in outsider characters. I like swimming in the dramatic version of political waters. Not trying to hammer home a political point, like in film ‘Hell or High Water,’ you’re saying something, but you’re looking for a dramatic truth as opposed to a kind of factual truth,” says Mackenzie.
The screenplay by Justin Piasecki, originally titled The Broker, was featured on the 2019 Black List, and Mackenzie saw in it a chance to explore themes of anonymity, paranoia, and moral compromise in a modern setting. He also interviewed former spies and whistleblowers to shape the protagonist’s tactics and psychology—one even emphasised the power of being underestimated, which became a key motif in the film.
Mackenzie collaborated with Justin Piasecki on the screenplay. While Piasecki is credited as the primary screenwriter, Mackenzie worked closely with him during development to shape the story’s tone and structure. Their partnership helped refine the film’s blend of emotional detachment and suspense, with Mackenzie bringing his signature style from films like Hell or High Water and Starred Up to elevate Piasecki’s morally complex script.
It stars Riz Ahmed as Tom, a world-class “fixer” who brokers secret payoffs between corrupt corporations and the people threatening to expose them. His life runs on precision and anonymity—until Sarah, played by Lily James, reaches out for protection, forcing him to break his own rules.
The metaphor embedded in Relay’s title is deceptively simple yet thematically rich
The film’s title itself nods to the relay system used by people with speech or hearing disabilities to communicate via intermediaries—often through typed messages relayed by an operator—becomes a symbolic mirror for the protagonist’s role in the narrative.
Tom (aka Ash), played by Riz Ahmed, functions as a human conduit: he doesn’t initiate conflict, nor does he resolve it. Instead, he transmits—messages, money, threats—between parties who never meet. Like a relay operator, he’s trained to remain emotionally neutral, invisible, and precise. His job is not to feel, but to facilitate. This detachment is both his strength and his curse.
The metaphor deepens when Sarah (Lily James) enters the picture. Her request for protection forces Ash to confront the cost of his emotional isolation. Just as a relay system can feel impersonal and mechanical, Ash’s life has become transactional and devoid of intimacy. The film subtly asks: What happens when the intermediary begins to care? When the conduit becomes a participant?
Director David Mackenzie uses this metaphor not just in dialogue, but visually—through sterile environments, muted color palettes, and scenes where Ash is framed between others, never quite belonging. It’s a powerful commentary on emotional labor, moral ambiguity, and the toll of living in service of secrets.
David Mackenzie is a Scottish film director, screenwriter, and producer. A graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Mackenzie co-founded Sigma Films, a Glasgow-based production company known for championing bold, genre-defying cinema. His career began with award-winning short films before transitioning to features like Young Adam (2003), Hallam Foe (2007), and Perfect Sense (2011), each marked by emotional intensity and visual experimentation. He gained international acclaim with Starred Up (2013), a raw prison drama, and Hell or High Water (2016), a modern western that earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Mackenzie’s work often explores themes of isolation, moral ambiguity, and emotional repression, and he’s known for collaborating with actors like Ewan McGregor and Chris Pine. His directorial style blends gritty realism with lyrical flourishes, making him one of the UK’s most versatile and respected filmmakers. With Relay (2025), he continues to push narrative boundaries, crafting thrillers that resonate with psychological depth and cultural relevance.
Justin Piasecki is an American screenwriter known for crafting morally complex thrillers that explore themes of anonymity, emotional detachment, and transactional truth. He gained industry attention when his screenplay The Broker—later retitled Relay—was featured on the 2019 Black List, a prestigious catalog of Hollywood’s most-liked unproduced scripts. Piasecki’s writing is marked by taut structure and psychological nuance, often drawing comparisons to 1970s conspiracy dramas. In addition to Relay, he contributed to The Expendables 4 and has worked across short films and television. His collaboration with director David Mackenzie on Relay helped shape the film’s emotionally restrained protagonist and its atmospheric tension. Piasecki is represented by Range Media Partners and continues to develop projects that challenge conventional storytelling through layered character studies and thematic depth
