Mixed media short, filmed over 4 years. In production.
An experimental reconstruction of the thought processes of a 7 year old Catholic girl, recounted by her adult self, as she desperately tries to ellicit all bad thoughts, for fear of evolving the wrath of the Holy Spirit.
WRITER Pauline Goldsmith
DIRECTOR: Simon Price
SYNOPSIS
Pauline Goldsmith recounts her experience, when at 7 years old she challenged the harsh religious dogma she was being raised under. More than about tackling religion, this film is about freedom of thought, and more importantly the free expression of that thought. It explores the issue of control by the group to make the individual fearful of saying the wrong thing.
Speaking out has become a defining subject of our times. Yet, speaking out is subject to a peer pressure which shapes the original thought to conform to a pre-set political ideology. To deviate is to risk being attacked, ridiculed and shut out from the community. This was Pauline’s world before her first holy communion. Despite this, she was compelled to say the unsayable.
This film combines animation layered upon archive footage, along with stylised dramatic reconstruction to express the psychological experiences of the child who dared to question the restrictive society surrounding her.