LOGLINE

Jo is completely unexceptional and growing up unexceptional is very difficult, soon Jo finds herself questioning the world and her place in it.

Just Jo is a neo-expressionist short film narrated by Jo, an observant teenage girl, trying to make sense of life and the people around her. The short film is set in the early noughties and recounts memories and experiences through visuals and voiceover. 

THEMES:

• Childhood Trauma

• Unlikely Friendships

• Addiction

This short film explores how easily adults can walk the path from Adverse Childhood Experiences to Addiction.

CHARACTERS

JO - We meet Jo in her late teens and follow her into adulthood. Jo is incredibly sensitive and a bit of a social outsider. She feels everything and sees what others miss - a price she must later pay. Despite Jo’s clear disdain for people and reality she finds herself caring for her mentally ill mother and grumpy neighbor Judy - But through Judy Jo finds a haven from her disruptive homelife. Jo carries much on her shoulders as soon begins to cope the only way she knows how - Prescription Pills.

ELIZA, 30s, is the mother of Jo and the only constant in her life, except Eliza struggles with her own mental health and after Jo’s abusive Father packs up and leaves for good Eliza struggles to make ends meet and look out for her daughter at the same time.

JUDY, 60s, is our curmudgeonly neighbour next door. She has very little family of her own anymore. She is sharp-witted and entirely miserable about anything and everything, except Jo. Judy looks after Jo, on Eliza’s request, to keep her out of trouble and the pair become incredibly close.

DIRECTOR’S VISION

Just Jo is set in the early noughties and recounts memories and experiences through an visuals and voiceover. Just Jo climbs inside of our character's mind in an ode to independent cinema and the quiet musings of writers such as Stephen Chbosky, Carrie Fisher, Lynne Ramsey, and Sam Levinson.

Just Jo draws heavily from animation movies, which is perhaps a misleading statement but I believe that animated movies provide the viewer with a unique viewing experience because every frame is carefully constructed to evoke a feeling and relay a characters experience.

When directing this film I want to carefully curate the visuals from the mise-en-scene to the lighting queues. I believe filmmaking provides a medium unlike any other where you can ensnare the senses and build a narrative that isn’t explicit in the dialogue. I will use cinematography, editing and screenwriting to create a juxtaposition in the story to provoke audience thought. For example, Jo is often an unreliable narrator...She often declares her distain for life and people, however it is through the visuals on screen where we can see that people and community is often a life-line.

I am inspired by great filmmakers both present and past, such as; Fellini, Sciamma, Guadagnino, Gerwig, Lorraine and Scorsese.

It takes a whole community of film lovers to get an ambitious short film off the ground which is why we haven't put all our eggs in one basket!

We need support from our pledgers and film funds to reach out total budget of £10k. All funds will be going back into the filmmaking community with the majority of out outgoings contributing to crew hire.

Our team are also fully committed to an inclusive and diverse workplace that feels safe and comfortable for everyone! We would be amiss if we didn't celebrate the fact that this short film is being lead by neurodiverse and disabled filmmakers.

That means we need to bake an access fund into our production budget! Having a workspace that allows every one to bring their best selves is equally as important as the art itself! We are going to adapt what a normal film shoot looks and feels like, by having shorter shoot days (To prevent fatigue and burnout!), seating for all of the crew, quiet spaces and accessible locations!