WRITER / DIRECTOR STATEMENT 

Many years ago I watched a documentary about a young girl called Phoebe Prince who ended her life by suicide at the age of 15. Phoebe was a young Irish teenager who moved to the United States with her family in the autumn of 2009. She enrolled in a new school there and was made the victim of endless harassment and bullying by other students in the school. The result of this bullying led to Phoebe taking her own life. There was a huge public outcry following this incident and this has led to greater global awareness around bullying and teenage suicide. 

This story of Phoebe Prince affected me deeply. The needless cruelty. The utter helplessness young Phoebe must have felt. Her family left behind. The Facebook posts following her death. The seeming coldness of her perpetrators. Where to begin to comprehend such a gut wrenching tragedy?

Firstly, the notion of suicide and it’s implications; the fallout of someone taking their life can create far reaching damage for those left behind. You can never get over the suicide of a loved one - ‘Could I have stopped them?’ ‘What could I have done?’ ‘Am I in some way to blame?’ These questions and more will probably haunt those left behind for the rest of their lives. So, how do we reconcile ourselves with these insistent burning questions? Was there something we could have done? How do we live with ourselves in the wake of such a soul crushing tragedy?

Then add to this, the fact that a group of people made another person feel so bad, so worthless, so hopeless that the only recourse for that young person was to eviscerate themselves completely. Where do they learn such cruelty? Should they ever forgive themselves? Or is it easier to keep playing the role they created for themselves in that early part of their life - to carry on being a bully? How do they, as the bullies reconcile themselves to the fact their behaviour had such devastating long lasting consequences?

These insistent questions led me to begin writing.

STORY

'Love, Hate, Hate, Love' is set in a rural church of a rural community. A young woman, Carla Stokes returns to her hometown to reconcile with the actions of her past and seeks redemption from the only woman who could give it to her; the Mother of a girl she bullied at school who ended her life by suicide. The course of these two women’s lives is changed forever and here they meet for the first time in 16 years.

Rosemary Whitby is a woman for whom the church and serving God is paramount in her navigating her life. Her only daughter Kathryn took her own life following a campaign of bullying by other teenagers some 16 years previously. Carla was a central figure in this. In the time since this tragic event, Carla has lived a life beset by addiction and chaos. Here, she is finding sobriety for the first time in her life and becoming sober means standing truly accountable for her actions.

The film centres around these two women and how they come to understand their part in such a life changing tragic event.

STYLE

I love both film and theatre. I especially love character based drama and stories that delve into the human experience. For this reason I am drawn to universal themes such as cruelty, guilt and shame but most importantly always at its heart is about people desperate to make an authentic connection in some way.

With this in mind I look to other films which have had a profound affect on me. Paul Thomas Anderson's, 'The Master' is a powerful piece of work that centres on two very damaged characters and their relationship to each other. Films such as, 'The Hunt', 'Loveless', 'Festen' and 'Breaking The Waves' are all films which I believe are potent explorations of the human experience each of which have moved me deeply. 

As an actor I am always interested in the performances of actors whether that be on stage or on film. Therefore, I want the style of film making to reflect that of the performances of the actors and therefore make it a character driven narrative. Whilst not strictly adhering to the rules of a 'Dogme' style of filming, I definitely want to achieve a more 'stripped back' tone using only natural light and of course, focussing solely on the performances of the actors. 

SUBJECT MATTER

Bullying has always existed and takes many forms. However, with the continued rise of social media platforms comes a very new type of bullying and harassment and a new culture of thinking. Everyone can have any opinion they want and express it at any given time to anyone they choose regardless of the effect those words will have. Social media has become a platform where people's anger can be vented without pause or hesitation. One example I came across was of one person who wished that Noel Clarke would “do a Caroline Flack” suggesting he should take his own life in light of the recent allegations made against him. I was utterly horrified that someone could write this. But there is no consequence, just blind stabs at people without thought or care. This film is all about consequence and seeing it in its bare reality.

We need this film now more than ever. At its core it is really about how we treat each other, how we treat our fellow human. Only last year we saw a global superstar physically assault someone in front of millions. Someone who sets themselves up as a role model and defends his actions in the name of “love” is disconcerting at best. The 45th President of the United States had no problem in mocking a disabled reporter and he is celebrated by millions of people across the world. What does this say about our culture now? We need this film now more than ever.

This film doesn’t offer any solid answers and nor should it. But it is my hope that it will go some way in taking our eyes away from the many screens of our mobile phones and laptops and into the eyes of another human being and making a choice - love or hate?

"Bullying is a key driver of suicidal behaviour among young people across the world, according to new research warning the problem is worse than previously feared. An international study by scientists in Britain, China and the US looked at data from 220,000 adolescents aged between 12 and 15 from 83 countries. The study found more than one in eight youngsters across the world had suicidal behaviours, with bullying strongly associated to suicide attempts. The study, led by scientists at the University of Wolverhampton, and China’s Guangzhou Medical University, said there was a need to strengthen policies and actions to reduce bullying in order to address suicidal behaviours among young people. Worldwide each year, approximately 800,000 people die by suicide, the second leading cause of death among 10 to 24-year-olds. Child suicide is linked to 220,000 deaths a year."

- Shaun Lintern, Health Correspondent (The Independent)

WRITER / DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY

Alex is an actor and this film marks his directorial debut for film.  Alex began acting at 11 years old. At 19, Alex appeared in his first professional production of HAMLET at The Millfield Theatre in North London. Since then, he has performed in numerous productions including a No.1 tour of Terry Pratchett’s TRUCKERS, a co production between The Sheffield Crucible and The Harrogate Theatre. Following on from this Alex has performed in a variety of stage productions including the lead role in Marlowe’s DOCTOR FAUSTUS and Donald in Dennis Potters BLUE REMEMBERED HILLS. Alex has also garnered many film credits which include a series of short films as part of Sky One’s marketing campaign for THE COLOUR OF MAGIC starring David Jason and Sean Astin.

Other productions include; The Lady of Lockspur Lotion, The Strangest Kind of Romance (Pentameters), Heads Bodies Legs (Camden Fringe), Raiders Road (Hampstead Theatre), The Christmas Truce / Mods and Rockers (Upstart Theatre Co.), The Matchmaker (Landor Theatre), The Blue Room (Landor Theatre), Truckers (Harrogate, Coventry and Bury St Edmonds - tour), Electra (Courtyard), Skylight (Brockley Jack), Romeo and Juliet (tour), Macbeth (tour), Twelfth Night (tour), The Gut Girls (Hen and Chickens), The Tempest (Millfield Theatre). Film work includes; LAD: a Yorkshire Story, The Relay Project, Suicide Tuesday, Crazy Pickles, Buck Diablo is Dead.

Alex has directed two stage productions one of which went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2008. The first play was 'The Skunk Smokers of Herman, Nebraska' with Caravanserai Productions and the second was 'The Open Couple' written by Dario Fo and Franca Rame the latter going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Alex also has extensive experience working with young people teaching and facilitating drama classes. He also directed a production of Shakespeare scenes at South Hill Park in Bracknell for a youth stage company based in Reading, Berkshire.

Alex's proudest moment, however was writing and performing his own one man play, 'WAKE' which he performed at two London theatres in 2016 and 2017.

Thank you very much and I look forward to sharing the film with you!