'Chronic' follows the story of Sadie and Rob who move in together but find that Sadie’s mysterious chronic illness complicates their plans and begins to govern their relationship.

WHY WE’RE FUNDRAISING

It’s our dream through ‘Chronic’ to connect with and unite chronically ill people and their carers who feel unseen and misunderstood, and also to enlighten people who don’t have experience with chronic illness. 

Having completed the production of ‘Chronic’, which we filmed in October 2021, we are now looking to raise a further £2,500 to support the post-production and distribution of this important story. £2,500 will enable us to submit ‘Chronic’ into a number of carefully selected film festivals, giving us a good chance to get our work seen. 

The more festivals we can enter, the more awareness and education we can generate for invisible disabilities in general. We also plan on hosting a special screening event with a live Q&A focusing on awareness, our experience creating work about disability and how to diversify the film industry as a whole.

THE STORY

Sadie and Rob have been planning on moving in together for a year now. In that year, Sadie has experienced an onset of debilitating chronic fatigue and pain. The move-in day is here but it doesn’t look like either of them imagined. 

The next week brings with it intensified symptoms for Sadie and a complicated doctor’s appointment. As the couple struggle to come to terms with Sadie’s inability to brush her own teeth or have sex, it becomes harder to know how to hold onto their relationship, and each other.

OUR WHY

Invisible illness within a romantic relationship is not spoken of enough. ‘Chronic’ is here to change that. 

There are around 14 million Disabled people in the UK and up to 70% have invisible conditions. Yet, we rarely, if ever, see a portrayal of invisible chronic illness and the difficulties of living with a diagnosis that offers no definitive answers or treatment on screen. In fact, only 2.8% of TV characters are Disabled when over 15% of the world’s population are. In what can be a very isolating place, we desperately want those who are suffering and their carers to feel seen.

The grief and pain involved with chronic illness affects not only the person experiencing the symptoms, but also the people caring for them. That’s why ‘Chronic’ is about Sadie and Rob. It’s a story that many people will relate to across the board of invisible illnesses - autoimmune diseases, arthritis, connective tissue disorders, mental health conditions, cancer, the list goes on... ‘Chronic’ is here to help people be seen and to help create empathy for chronically ill people, and their carers and loved ones.

It’s only becoming more critical to raise awareness for illnesses that include chronic pain and chronic fatigue in a world with Covid-19 and Long Covid.

For more insight into our why, check out this article and this podcast.

Here’s a sneak peek (or should we say sneak listen?) to our soundtrack composed by the incredibly talented Laurel Violet:

“I think that there are so many different levels of how the industry isn’t accessible. But I think if we want what’s on our screens to be more diverse in terms of chronic illness and disability, then there has to be the doors open for people like me to be able to get involved.”

– Charlotte Paradise, The Rest Room Podcast

THE CAST

ANTONIA SALIB – SADIE & CO-PRODUCER

Antonia is a graduate of The Oxford School of Drama. Her credits include Moon Knight (Disney+),  The Play That Goes Wrong (West End), Know You Well (Southwark Playhouse) and Shudder (Soho Theatre).

“It has been an incredibly special and eye-opening experience making Chronic. I feel very privileged to play Sadie and work with talented filmmakers who all care deeply about bringing this story to life.”

JACK BARTON – ROB

Jack graduated from The Oxford School of Drama in 2018 and made his TV debut in Grantchester (ITV/Masterpiece for PBS). His credits include The Letter For The King (Netflix), War of the Worlds (Disney+), Poor Things from Yorgos Lanthimos (coming 2022) and The Pursuit of Love (BBC).

THE TEAM

“We wanted to have a team that’s made up of all of the different perspectives of chronic illness: people who are chronically ill, people who have been, people who love people who are and the people who have never had personal experience of it. They’re all important bases for us to cover.”

– Charlotte Paradise, Real Talk with Melody

LIZZIE MELBOURNE – CO-PRODUCER

Lizzie is a General Manager and Producer. She has won a National Award as Arts Council England's 'UK Digital Trailblazer' and was personally named in The Stage 100, the annual list of the 100 most important individuals and organisations in the UK Theatre. Her short film credits include Development Executive for Slung Low's The Magician: Shining City (2022) and Producer for Flying Piglet's Two's A Crowd (2021).

"I can't explain how much working on this project with these people means to me. I'm so excited for 'Chronic' and the impact it will have."

MILLY GARNIER – DIRECTOR

Milly is a director and writer based in London. Her directing debut, The Leaving Party, was funded by the inaugural Female Film Force, premiered in conjunction with the London Short Film Festival and nominated for best screenwriting at Underwire Festival (2019). Her other directing credits include, The Dinner Party (Chalkboard Productions, 2019) and All About M.E. (2016).  

"It's hard to put into words what 'Chronic' means to me, but working with such a passionate team has been, in equal parts, inspiring, humbling, cathartic, exhausting and completely joyful. If 'Chronic' can motivate change or even a conversation in just one person’s life, we’ll have achieved something important."

CHARLOTTE PARADISE – WRITER

Charlotte is a Disabled screenwriter and novelist with an MA in Writing for Stage & Broadcast Media from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Her credits include Mess (play, Warwick Arts Centre), Know You Well (Southwark Playhouse) and WHY AM I SOFT IN THE MIDDLE (RCSSD).

“‘Chronic’ is a sort of pledge to myself that I’m not going to hide anymore, that I’m going to be seen. It has given me the room to move towards acceptance of myself and my identity as a Disabled woman.”

JAMIE MACLEOD – DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Jamie is a cinematographer who works across a range of genres from drama, documentary, music videos and commercials. He has worked extensively with the BBC on high profile programmes such as The Invictus Games and the BBC Proms.

“It was great to have the opportunity to work on such a meaningful film with a group of people who are so passionate about the topic. Personally it was great to showcase the perspective of a partner in a relationship learning to deal with ME.”

CATRIONA DELBRIDGE – EDITOR

Catriona is a freelance film editor and film programmer with over 20 years of professional experience, including work on Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire. She has worked with multiple industry leading directors, such as Danny Boyle, Edgar Wright and Neil Marshall. She is also a member of Bafta Crew.

“When I read the script for ‘Chronic’ it struck a note with me personally. Living with a hidden illness can be incredibly isolating both for those affected and for their family and loved ones. In making ‘Chronic’ I hope we reach a wider audience and help broaden the understanding around these issues.”

LAUREL VIOLET – COMPOSER

Laurel is a classically trained composer living in London. She has a masters degree in film scoring from the University of Bristol. Laurel’s compositions are atmospheric and evocative. Rooted in classical composition, her pieces are modernised with ambient soundscapes and electronic production.

“Working on ‘Chronic’ has been important to me because I've seen how chronic illness has affected people close to me and I'm so happy to be part of a project that is raising awareness about it in such a sensitive way.”

THEA PROSSER – ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Thea is a freelance production assistant with experience in drama and factual TV, as well as theatre. She was part of the BBC apprentice scheme in 2016 and went on to work in arts documentaries at the BBC. Thea has been the assistant to Amit Lahav, the artistic director of Gecko theatre company.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

I was diagnosed with ME/CFS at a young age and although my health is in pretty good shape at the moment, it's something that has defined quite a large chunk of my life. As my health has improved over the years, it’s become increasingly important to address some of the misconceptions about the illness and show that it’s so much more than ‘feeling tired’.

Having already made an animated short discussing the illness (All About M.E., 2016), it’s necessary to go further than talking generally about chronic fatigue and delve into the individual experience. That way, we can illustrate the day-to-day monotony, the excruciating frustration, how truly limiting it can be and how increased awareness is key. It’s also extremely important to demonstrate that there’s hope in many people’s lives, particularly through the support of their friends and family. 

BEHIND THE SCENES

We had the best time shooting ‘Chronic’ in London over a weekend in October 2021 with an incredible team of filmmakers and creatives. For more of an insight into our weekend, have a click through our BTS photos below!

MESSAGE OF SUPPORT FROM ME ASSOCIATION

It is very important to us as a team that our work stretches beyond our film and raises awareness of the experiences of the chronically ill and Disabled community. Prior to making 'Chronic', we partnered with the wonderful ME Association, and here are some words from their chairman, Neil Riley:

The ME Association, Britain’s oldest charity for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, is delighted with ‘Chronic’ – a film which reveals some intimate home truths about what it means to live with a largely invisible illness. 

Charlotte Paradise’s script for this deceptively simple, short film illustrates the light and shade of many relationships where couples quickly must make compromises if they are to survive in a world where there are as yet no treatments that restore full health. 

Rob and Sadie, the star-crossed lovers, are going to have a tough time if they stick together.

Doctors can get bored with Sadie, if they can’t cure her. Employers can get decidedly tetchy if she takes too many days off work. Workmates will begin to shun her. Friends will drop away if she can’t be relied upon to come out to play. Even mum and dad can become less than sympathetic as the years pass by. 

Yet M.E. is a real physical illness that affects over 250,000 adults and children in the UK and millions more worldwide.

One in four are so severely affected that they are rendered housebound or bed bound – with some needing 24-hour care.

They are often confined to their beds, unable to walk, are extremely sensitive to light and sound and in extreme cases can require tube-feeding. 

Minor exertions – such as talking, reading, sitting up in bed, brushing hair or trying to stand – can result in worse symptoms and trigger relapses. 

There is no known cure or effective treatment and worse still, there remain vast misconceptions – even in medical circles – that M.E. is ‘made up’, ‘in the mind’ or even ‘just laziness’. 

People with M.E. and other invisible illnesses will be so pleased you are telling a big part of their story in such a compelling way. We hope it comes to a big screen near us very soon.

You can find more about what the ME Association does on their website.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

We completely understand that you may not be able to financially support us at this time. 

If you aren’t in a position to donate, here are some other vital things you can do to help us: 

SHARE our fundraising page with your friends and family. 

SHOUT OUT about our film to help us reach those we might not otherwise. 

FOLLOW us on Instagram @chronicfilm and Facebook @chronicshortfilm – like, share, comment and get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

READ the articles we’ve written about making Chronic and the heart behind it: How Writing a Film About My Invisible Disability Helped me Grieve and Let’s Talk about Invisible Chronic Illness and Love.

LISTEN to the podcasts we’ve been a guest on: The Rest Room and Real Talk.

“I’m excited for people to hopefully feel the way that I felt watching it on set. That, oh, I can take up space and I am seen, and I’m not alone in this.” 

– Charlotte Paradise, The Rest Room Podcast with Natasha Lipman

If you would like to know more about the project then feel free to message us on @chronicfilm on Instagram or email us at chronicfilm2021@gmail.com