From an early morning in church to drinking alone in an empty apartment, ‘Dad‘ follows one day in the life of an alcoholic absent parent. MA student Michelle Bailey's first short film is the touching story about her relationship with her own father.
“The film could be described as a bio-pic as it is based on my father, myself and events surrounding our relationship”, said Michelle.
‘Dad’ tells a pretty straightforward story, exposing the real events of Michelle's personal life, with a slight experimental twist, which she describes as “the blurring of the real and the actual reality of the story”.
The events in the film might be considered negative, but it is simply an attempt at understanding the reasons for her father's behaviour.
“When I first wrote ‘Dad’ I wanted it to be sympathetic towards my father”, she said, “I wrote it to finally understand his life, his reasons but also his disease.”
‘Dad’ is a deeply personal story, but it also shows the situation of millions of people. Single parent families are more common than 30 years ago, but this is not reflected in the media.
“I wanted to make ‘Dad’ because I'm not only telling my story but that of many people”, she added. “I also wanted to raise awareness of alcoholism and its effect on the family.”
A big fan of Coventry Poet Phillip Larkin, Michelle used his poem ‘This Be The Verse’ to reflect upon the effect parents have on their children, as they were themselves affected by their parents. “I feel this poem truly embodies my film as I never wanted to place blame, just understanding.”
Completing her last year in Coventry University, Michelle considered it to be the perfect opportunity to produce her first piece with a mixture of professionals and students in crew. Her motivation was increased by the advice of some of the professionals in the field.
“I have been very lucky to be part of CUEAFS which has given me great opportunities to receive advice from legendary film makers, especially director Freddie Wong who offered the advice on making your first film – to let it be true to yourself and as creative as you wish as you will never have the freedom to do so again. That struck a strong cord with me”, explained Michelle.
For her, the process of making the film has been very cathartic. “Making ‘Dad’ has made me come to terms with my father and his absence in my life. But more importantly it has made me feel compassion for him”.
*Image by George RipponLabels: 332mc |
