Kinship (2012)

As an actress I have to admit that this is one of the roles I was the most proud of. I portrayed a character called Jess, an alcohol who would partake in the use of drugs to blot out the pain in her life.

Look how miserable Jess is, sitting there with a spliff in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

The film presented two main characters- Paul (played by the talented Liam Harkins), and Jess (played by myself), both of whom had an addiction. Not much was said on what they did for a living, but they both live in a flat, albeit one covered in rubbish and empty vodka bottles. 

The film starts with Jess and Paul visiting their drug dealer for their next fix. After leaving the drug dealer's house they get into a mini argument, with Jess worrying about her addiction. It becomes obvious they're both getting fed up of being stuck in a rut, just hiding behind alcohol. Their argument is disrupted by hearing the distressed cry of an abandoned baby. After a discussion, Jess persuades Paul to allow her to take the baby home. 

The baby "Chloe" was played by the most adorable baby ever, Kasia.

I particularly enjoyed filming this scene, it took a lot to get into the character of really being broody, convincing my boyfriend that taking a baby home was better than leaving it out in the cold over night. I felt that maybe I was a little whiny when it came to pushing out my reasons behind wanting to take the baby home, but alas, I didn't mind giving Jess a little bit of my own personality. This particular scene took a few hours to film. It was filmed in two different areas of the same location, undecided of where it should be shot. It was quite cold, but little Kasia was wrapped up tight, with her father always not too far away on set. 

The emotional breakdown of my character was interesting to play out, because it wasn't an in your face blow up, it was a subtle realisation of wanting to change. Jess fell in love with this baby, and suddenly realised that one day she'd like her own, but knew she couldn't with her addiction. The most heartbreaking scene was when Paul is sitting on the sofa explaining how they drink vodka so much they can barely taste it, they would never make good parents. Despite their downfalls, you see them try to provide for the baby for at least one night, it gives the audience the feeling of hope that it might get better. 

The next scene was one of my favourites, because I got to sing a lullaby. I actually had to have a cheat sheet, placed near the baby's head just out of shot because I didn't know the words. It was a really good experience for me to be able to sing in a film. 

 How adorable does she look??? So effing cute!

Needless to say I picked my character's clothing, I opted for something casual, something anyone would wear. I thought it significant to have Jess look like anyone else (besides the tired misery in her facial expression) so that the audience could understand that the demons she and Paul were facing were demons that could hit anyone at any time. I felt that that way, it would be easier for the audience to relate to the character. 

The ending of the film showed Jess and Paul leaving "Chloe" in the park, with the police coming into shot ready to take her. It's assumed that they rang in a report of an abandoned baby. Being drug users and all, they decide to leave before the police can see them. After the experience of finding a baby, looking after it, and then having to give it back, both Jess and Paul decide that it's probably time to fight their demons, and get help so that one day they can have a baby of their own. It showed the growth of a man who never considered ever having children due to his addictions, to a man who decided he could beat the negativity to look forward to a positive future. Alas, the ending is a typical ride into the sunset one, they leave holding hands, promising they'll do what's best, clean themselves up and settle down into an actual family.

I liked the ending, I felt the growth within my character, though I felt that maybe she wanted to grow all along, but was held back slightly by Paul.

For those wanting to watch the film:  https://vimeo.com/41059355
Imdb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2246608/

Don't forget to keep up to date with my acting, singing and performing here: https://www.facebook.com/RosemarieEDGibson