‘Finding Calm’ is an intimate story that has its roots, and follows in, the strong tradition of British social realism.  Whilst developing an approach to capturing this particular story on film, I’ve been re-visiting the works of our modern social realists, such as Mike Leigh, Andrea Arnold and Lynne Ramsay. Directors who focus on character above all else, revealing the intimacies of their troubled and / or troubling lives through the smallest details and most candid of interactions.

Films such as ‘Gasman’ and ‘Fish Tank’ provide a flavour of the unvarnished depictions of their character’s lives that will form the template for ‘Calm’.  For an audience to connect with Sam and understand the struggles he goes through during the course of our film, his world and his actions will be captured with a similar honesty, documentary-like in their execution and as unafraid to linger on the minutae of his environment or the actions of the character.

‘Finding Calm’ is unflinching in tackling a difficult subject matter, just as it needs to be.  As Sam endures his dark night of the soul, the audience is firmly placed by his side for every step of the way, experiencing all of the challenges he faces through his point of view as his actions drive us through the narrative.