The story centres on Sofia, a 20-year-old gymnast struggling with a waning passion for the sport. Her interest is sparked when she forms a push-and-pull relationship with a new teammate, Carmen. Ambitious and socially motivated, Carmen wants to assert herself in her new team by being selected in the upcoming coming regional competitions, while Sofia just wants to win her over. The two begin flirting as they stay behind class to stretch and chat but the last girls leaving the locker room overhear them, and by the next practice, rumours of their relationship spread through the team.

With the self-assuredness of an old-timer, Sofia is not understanding of Carmen’s boundaries. Sofia unknowingly pushes too far, provoking Carmen to pull back. Tensions are stoked by Coach Katy, who pits the two against each other for the upcoming competition, in an effort to reignite Sofia’s passion for the sport.

My project connects deeply with me because it explores the complex and often conflicting relationships athletes have with their identity, a struggle I’ve felt acutely as an ex-gymnast.

I have experienced the relentless conditioning to view the body as a machine, trained to perform. Coming of age as a queer person in intimate single-sex settings, you convince yourself there’s a switch inside you, a valve controlling desire. Soon enough, years of discipline have chiseled the certainty that no desire exists here. And then, a sudden blaze: a crush stands on the other side of the locker room, setting the void aflame, until the room pulses with the same pubescent self-consciousness once more. The faucet is on, and the valve has burst.

BEND explores this tension: the clash between intimacy and the rigid confines of a sport devoid of queer representation. Through Carmen and Sofia, I delve into the silent struggles of queer athletes, navigating taboo desires that alienate them from their own identity.

The smell of mildew on the mats, chalk drifting in the air and the sharp claps of the coach echoing against the iron trusses on the ceiling as they call everyone in for final stretches—these vivid sensory details transport any athlete back to their training days.

The film adopts a stripped-down, cold take on the classic ‘All-American’ sporty aesthetic, set in a North London gymnastics club. While it draws visual inspiration from mid-century American varsity sports halls, with hardwood floors, basketball court markings and Swedish ladders, it is grounded in the more sterile, utilitarian atmosphere of London’s leisure centres, where most British teams train. 

The production design balances this nostalgic athletic imagery of bright, primary-coloured equipment with the multi-purpose, sterile feel of the hangar- like sports halls that central London gymnastics clubs often present.

Gymnastics is a sport you start young, and there’s a unique nostalgia in stepping into practice after school and leaving to find the sun has set and supper is waiting. Bend captures this suspended memory, recounting Sofia’s first experience with love in the gymnasium and her decision to leave the sport she’s known all her life. The film’s key locations, the gymnasium, locker room, and hallway, shape its emotional and physical landscape. The gymnasium serves as the film’s heart.

Like any powerful memory, it’s preserved in the sensory details of where it unfolded: represented by a more baroque approach to shooting our short, focusing on aggrandising moments of tension, as they’re lived by our protagonist.

The gymnasium, as the film’s primary setting, functions as a stage, with gymnastics as the lens through which Sofia’s coming of age is explored. Her identity is deeply intertwined with the sport, as she has long defined herself through it, reflecting the profound emotional weight lifelong sports carry for athletes. Even as Sofia experiences romantic growth and lets go of her relationship with Carmen, her greater arc lies in accepting the end of her passion for gymnastics.

The budget for Bend prioritises authenticity, safety, and creative storytelling, with securing a professional gymnasium as the central location being vital to capturing the film’s emotional core. An authentic location ensures safety and allows our cast of trained gymnasts to prepare comfortably for their scenes.

London’s limited space forces clubs to operate out of leisure centre gymnasiums with restricted rental time, while purpose-built gyms are rare, expensive to run, and tightly scheduled, making rental costs high. To address this, we’ve adopted a resourceful approach: leveraging existing gym spaces and our ties with professional gymnasts to ensure both authenticity and cost-efficiency. Still, covering the location costs remains a challenge we want to tackle through our fundraising.

Our production plan prioritises on-set safety for the cast performing stunts. To prevent overwork or injury, we require a coach and stunt coordinator on set, along with efficient scheduling for the main characters and gymnast extras. Due to our possibly irregular shooting dates on location, we've also developed cost-effective but caring-for provisions for meals, equipment, and transportation.

This project delves into the rarely explored intersection of queerness and gymnastics. With your help, we can realise this vision by securing an authentic location, crafting an atmosphere that reflects both athleticism and personal conflict, and casting talent who can fully embody these complex characters.

For more information about the project or to stay updated on our production, follow us on Instagram @bendshortfilm or check the link below!