The film follows Izzy, a recently qualified social worker with a genuine calling and a sense of pride in her work. As she goes about her daily duties by attending a house visit, she encounters a case that will shake her naive view of the system she’s a part of.
The house she visits is that of 9-year-old Rosie; a troubled little girl with a history of neglect and abuse. Her carer and sole guardian is Ellen, a warm-hearted, kind woman with a long history of foster care. When Izzy meets her, her house and family have become devastated by this placement and so has the woman herself.
With Ellen talking about Rosie’s emotional trouble and violent behaviour, but nothing of sorts being reported in Rosie’s files, Izzy will have to judge what to believe and what to do. She realises just how insurmountable the issue is as it quickly becomes apparent it is a symptom of the bureaucratic, heartless machine that social care has become.
Rosie explores the grey areas found between morality and the rules of a failing system. Deeply rooted within socialist realism, the film abstains from black and white judgment and offers a perspective of from each of the characters involved in the narrative.
Following this concept, we aim to visualise these perspectives and show the thin line separating childhood innocence and the crushing reality. Therefore, the colour composition will be incredibly important in our film. The use of soft, baby colours will be juxtaposed against harsh blues and desaturated terracottas.
That way, we intend to visualise just how the beauty of childhood can be damaged by the harsh reality of the system.
During his teenage years, Otto Hussain's family fostered a number of young children. Over this time he became familiar with private fostering agencies and how they work. Through an especially challenging case, the failings of the system began to shine through and an immense frustration built against the mistreatment of children and the families who try to care for them. Bringing his story and his frustration to his co-writer Kacper Jaszcz, they decided to look further into the issue. Their research showed that the problems Otto’s family faced were incredibly universal.
British foster care is currently facing a silent crisis. Through privatisation, there has been an unbelievable mis-prioritization of funds, seeing those who run the companies raking in huge profits whilst carers are not receiving adequate funding or support.
The reality of the situation is that carers are treated as caretakers and the children as products. This leaves those whose job it is to handle the cases both prejudiced and powerless. In effect, it's a system where everyone loses.
The money donated will help us to cast the best actors to bring the characters to life and enable our art department and location manager to find locations that can appropriately build the world of Rosie. Additionally, it will be used to meet the logistical challenges of running a 30 person set, and covering the living expenses of our actors.
Furthermore, it will be used to make the most out of our cinematography, costume, makeup, and distribution. All in all, your donations will make this film into reality.
Please donate or share to help us tell this important story and to make this film happen!
If you have had similar experiences with foster care and would like to share your story with us, please email us at [email protected] (all messages will be treated with absolute confidentiality).
Follow us on our Facebook Page and Instagram, and share it with your friends!