Visual artist Melanie Manchot works with a recovery group in Liverpool, who take up roles in a semi-fictional film-within-a-film that explores addiction and mental health from multiple perspectives. It is centred around Stephen, a character recovering from gambling and alcohol addictions. References to the first police crime reconstruction, filmed in Liverpool in 1901, are a reminder that addiction has long existed within the fabric of our culture. It’s a tough process and emotionally charged scenes reveal inner truths, which gain additional power when the people playing the roles are, in some sense, playing themselves. Visually striking, STEPHEN is a startling record of this form of treatment and a reminder of how dextrous the documentary form can be.
Genre: Documentary
Technical DetailsLength: 78 minutes
Language: English
Certificate: TBC
Format: DCP/DVD/Blu-RayRelease
Date: 26th April 2024
Press
“Presenting alternative and nuanced perspectives to re-think urgent social issues of addictions, loneliness and mental health, challenging many societies around the world”
Outset.“An emotionally impactful as any fictional work of social realism”
Business Doc Europe“The blend of factual and fictionalised footage works on an intellectual level demonstrating the compulsive and self-destructive nature of gambling”
Sheffield Doc Fest
Distributor: Modern Films
Contact: rossella@modernfilms.com
