Save Me, now in pre-production and crowdfunding on Kickstarter, brings together a core female creative team of director Kirsty Hamilton (Cold, Breathe), writer Suzanne Adamson, producer Lynnaire MacDonald and DoP Jess Charlton (Loimata, the Sweetest Tears, Tama).
When 14-year-old Kirsten is blamed (by her mother) for her brother’s tragic drowning, she finds herself trapped in her mother’s nightmare cycle of grief (blame and denial).
As her mother’s mental health declines, refusing to accept her son’s death, Kirsten trawls the sea to prove that he will not return. Emotionally and physically isolated guilt takes its toll on Kirsten.
When Kirsten finds concrete evidence of the drowning so mum might find some acceptance, it sends her mother into a tailspin. Kirsten then knows what she must do to help her mother heal, but at what cost to her own well-being?
Save Me is a short film about the well-intentioned but sometimes misguided sacrifices we make to try and heal the ones we love from grief and suffering.
This short is the fourth in the director’s seat for director Kirsty Hamilton, who also has experience as a screenwriter and actor. Her feature screenplay Without Sin/Harakore achieved second round status at the Sundance Writers Lab 2019 and her most recent acting gig was in Damien Power’s No Exit (2022).
“I got on the phone with Suzanne immediately after reading the script for Save Me because the story kept me utterly riveted, “says Hamilton. “The images are powerful, and the female characters are flawed, proactive and complex. I wanted to be involved with Save Me because the themes of the desire to heal those we love who suffer, and the misguided sacrifices we make to achieve that resonated strongly with me.”
Save Me aims to resonate with anyone who has experienced or knows someone who has struggled with grief and mental health, something which is close to the heart of screenwriter Suzanne Adamson. Many of Adamson’s screenplays reflect mental health themes. She currently has three feature films in different stages of development.
Her script communicates a complex, difficult experience of loss with a strong forward momentum and incredible escalating tension. It empowers the audience to imagine the potential outcome for this mother and daughter. “Suzanne has been developing her craft and talent for some time with many scripts in her slate and Save Me is proof that her hard work has paid off. It’s incredibly exciting to be a part of this creative, motivated team of talented women moving forward,” says Hamilton.
“Save Me shows that the way in which people experience grief is very personal, even during a time of shared grief,” says producer Lynnaire MacDonald, “even though Kirsten and her mother feel like two separate islands of grief, we hope that the audience will feel a deep empathy and a desire to
reunite them.”
Save Me is set for filming in April 2023.
Social Media
Twitter: https://twitter.com/saveme_short
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savemefilm
