Purgatory | Short Film Nominee

Short Film Nominee August 21, 2021

Purgatory

By Jack Stockley with 6.7

drama · Short Films · english

Trigger Warning: Domestic and sexual abuse

The first visual we are introduced to in the film is of an intimate setting - early morning in a bedroom with sunlight streaming in. However, despite the potential ease of the situation, a sense of disconcertment has already been set in motion.

The narrative develops gradually to reveal the true forces that are at work here, allowing the viewer to unpack the discomfort they have felt so far. It is in this unpacking of the narratorial layers that the primary message of the film lies. It portrays the terrible reality of domestic abuse by taking us into the life of a couple. The abuse in itself becomes the overarching character in the plot, explaining the many ways in which the abusers isolate and torment their victims.

The film serves to draw our attention to the staggering rise in domestic abuse of both women and children during the Covid-19 lockdown in the UK. This, in turn, also allows a compelling and extremely relevant insight to the viewer about the manner in which abuse operates even within the framework of what would should be a space of comfort, love and affection, and the horrific shape it took in a pandemic-ridden world.
Read Less