A short film that focuses on a single mother, grappling with the antics of her teenage son that puts their relationship to the test.

Director’s Vision

Telling a story without words presented a rewarding challenge. It lets us reach as many people as possible while exploring the cinematic medium at its purist. Without dialogue, we used camera movement to create a rhythm. The film explores the theme of perspective – and crucially how perspectives can change – so we crafted an image system around this; making frequent use of POV; giving perspective to characters at important moments – and life to the inanimate objects that are key to conveying the narrative.

To enhance the ideas of shifting perspective further, my friend and standout cinematographer Matt suggested we introduce some heavy lens breathing (an affectation of older lenses) and after some research we opted to shoot on Hawk V-Series anamorphics. Though this beautiful glass presented endless (truly endless) challenges during production, it allowed us to contrast the different dimensions in the frame. I like playing with depth; and these lenses created a clear distinction between fore- middle and background. A huge thank you to Arri for all their support.

The subject matter is sure to irk some viewers, but it’s important to recognise that there is no clear message to this film. It is a portrait; taking an objective look at a perfectly ordinary family – and how drugs enter into the equation in a way that’s true to life today, but without passing comment about what these events mean. It’s up to the audiences to decide how they feel about the choices these characters make. With the film, I hope to add to the ongoing debate about drugs in British society, but mainly I hope to entertain as many viewers as possible.

If the film finds an audience, it will be the first in a trilogy of projects that explores drug use in Britain; how it is now and how, for better or for worse, it might be in the future.