Under The Gorse Short Film

Logline:

Unresolved grief after the loss of their mother sends two young sisters on an adventure to find a meteor that has fallen, believing that their mother is in it. To reach their goal, they have to battle their own reality and imagination.

Themes:

Films made for and about young people often tend to overlook the complexity of childhood and instead project a detached sentimentality from the perspective of adulthood. Therefore, the emotional and philosophical depth and capacity of children are not sincerely recognised. I want to challenge this in a film that explores and plays with children’s complex experiences, imagination, and emotions – filmmaking that takes the child’s perspective seriously. 

Story:

After Puck learns in a film that stars are deceased relatives, she quickly makes the logic that shooting stars must be relatives returning. As such, when Puck and her sister Islay see a star falling over Edinburgh one evening, she is certain it’s their mum returning.

Setting off to find this star, the girls have to go underneath a gorse bush to reach the place where the meteor has fallen. However, emerging on the other side, they have been transported to a barren and bleak landscape where they face some strange obstacles. A druid (farmer) tries to lead them astray, and a talking mound is in their way.

Eventually, they reach the crater's edge, where the star has landed. However, what they find on the other side might not be exactly what Puck hoped for. Still, its fantastical properties offer some form of solace.

Directors Statement:

I aim to make this a film about the beauty and strength of the threshold between reality and imagination – not only as a way to cope with trauma but also as a way to understand the rites of passage we go through in our lives. Life itself is a chaotic and sometimes traumatic and volatile experience, and by utilising our capacity to conceptualise it with our imagination, we can better understand and accept it. As we grow up, we learn to separate ourselves from this imagination, this inner liminal space. I want to show that what we call real, and what we imagine, doesn’t need to be opposing forces bound in everlasting conflict.

Why is your involvement important?

This project is unique for many reasons; the main one being that we are choosing to shoot on 16mm film, a medium which is not so common among modern-day short films. Shooting on film requires an extra level of expertise to handle the specialist equipment, as well as extra funds to purchase the film and have it processed. Aside from this aspect, we are working with a large crew and child actors, all of which come with their challenges and costs, and also shooting on location in several scenic spots including Glencoe. These elements are what make our film unique, however, are also the most difficult parts to fund. For this reason, we would be extremely grateful for any donation (no matter how small) as this would allow us to bring this film to life!

Where does your money go?

Here is a more in-depth look at the elements mentioned above in relation to how we will use any funds raised: