In 2001 it won the BAFTA award for Best Short Film. It also won an award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. for Best British Short, the Turner Classic Movie's Short film Award prize at the London Film festival, and the JURY prize at the Raindance film festival.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL2z8Qzn1dc (9.52mins)
The opening shot of the film is of a silhouette of a young girl singing 'Stronger' by Brittany Spears against a skyline of clouds on a hill. Throughout the duration of the film, there is no soundtrack or non-diagetic music, only the dialogue between the characters, the young girl talking self consciously to us, and the diagetic sound of the world around her.
The interesting juxtaposition of shots of her talking to the camera in the present tense and flash backs into the near past is extremely effective as it paints a more in depth, detailed picture of who this girl is. It is difficult to pin point the exact genre of the film as the narrative consists only of this girl. As her monologue continues, we begin to feel almost uncomfortable as her upbeat way of talking does not match some of the terrible things she explains and suggests has happened to her- domestic violence, poverty and family troubles.
The film as a whole is very low budget, not fussy as only four of five locations are used, however the narrative is highly captivating. Perhaps the most impressive shot is at the end, of the low angle shot of the bloody bag opening with the baby falling out.
I would say the film is aimed at a more mature audience of about 16-20 years old- possibly girls due to the poignant ending. The representation is of regional ethnicity yet also perhaps age. The deliberate omission of the girls name forces us to not be so connected with her and reminds us at the end of how many girls there are that go through such horrific experiences such as this young girl's.
The USP (appeal) is the young girl, her dreams of fame and the picture she paints of her troubled life. It attracts us as it is very real and extremely honest. It also highlights how the lives of every day people can hold such mystery and horror.
9/10
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