A teenage girl cares for a sick father who grows his own 'medicine'.
GROWING PAINS is used with permission from Jack Curtis. Learn more at growing-pains-film.com.
Shy and quiet Rhea is like any other student in her class on the surface. But in reality, she shoulders a great responsibility: she cares for her sick father Martin her own at home.
Her father grows his own "medicine" to help alleviate the symptoms of his illness. But when Rhea's mean classmates discover this, Rhea is put in a tricky situation, one that might imperil her situation at home.
Directed and written by Jack Curtis, this powerfully incisive short drama is both a portrait of a young daughter caring for an ill parent and an indictment of rigid and outdated laws that hurt and criminalize an already vulnerable segment of the population. Told in a restrained, naturalistic style, the narrative nevertheless captures its young protagonist's helplessness and struggle in the face of forces larger than herself, as well as the isolation and silence she's forced into because of it.
The layered, complex narrative juggles many different dramatic elements: Rhea's home life, her protective relationship with her father, and her life at school where she grapples with cruelty and the legal nature of her father's medication. All these are laid out with attention to detail, firmly establishing Rhea's different contexts and roles. At first, Rhea's home and school life are sharply demarcated, with her home visually softened with shadow and warmth while her school is shot with a brighter, almost harsher light.
Rhea, too, is different in each domain. At school, she is shy and recessed, but at home she holds a huge amount of responsibility, showing strength and level-headedness beyond her years. Actor Lola Woods plays these different sides of Rhea with compelling precision and vulnerability, offering a multidimensional character that we come to empathize with, particularly when we see her solicitousness and protectiveness with her father, played by actor Garry Robson with a believable affection for his daughter and an underlying desperate frustration with his illness.
The heart of the conflict comes, however, when these contexts and roles clash or endanger one another, particularly when Rhea's mean classmates discover what Rhea's father does to manage the pain and discomfort of his condition. They manipulate her into a series of decisions that culminate in a suspenseful, devastating climax, where the invisible force of the law that Rhea and her father fear becomes all too palpable. Impeccably crafted and performed all around, GROWING PAINS leaves us feeling as distraught and helpless as Rhea, as we wonder what will happen to her and her father and question just what such a show of force is meant to say or serve in the first place.
Bloody people. Nobody ever lets a full explanation come out. The woman who got elected to the school council was a bully like her daughter. Rhea was an angel of mercy for her father. Bullies bring out the anger in me.
So many films about NOTHING and yet, here is an ambitious film with at least three major themes. Thank You cast & crew.
Goddamn bullies. This was so well written . Im crying for her out of anger and sadness. I miss my Dad.
Excellent short film. The police might 'so say' uphold the law, but they can tactically break the law as well. Bullies are damaged goods, inflicting pain on those who lack the self confidence to stand up to them. When I was at school it happened to me, then I somehow found the will to fight them back, the bullying then stopped. There are bullies in all walks of life, in work, in business & politics it's just knowing how best to deal with it, without coming off worst yourself.
The police were a bunch of brainless turds in this , they searched a man's property WITHOUT a warrant , and then they forcefully try to arrest and handcuff him when he's in a wheel chair harmless and disabled, was infuriating to watch . And the 3 bullies will just continue to intimidate the poor girl no doubt , while her dad's probably going to die, making her an orphan in care .
This movie brought me to tears. Amazing actors and actresses. Cruel world!
Well done, activated all my emotional cells and feels horrible! As a non consumer i still met people who use it against pains and chronic pains. It has less side effects than pain killers in the long run. It should be legally accessible to anyone who needs it!
This touched many aspects of my life. It was almost gut wrenching to watch at first
Yeah, for sure. I can relate. I watched it a second time. Theses short clips are too short sometimes.
Same.....and some comments about legalization - it doesn't end the stigma because it doesn't change the past. This could have been made 30 years ago and in 30 years, we'll see.....but the last four generations have been the way it is and what will be four generations from now.
Thanks for this beautiful, powerful, heart-wrenching film. Top quality
This is great acting, great cinematography
A community is infinitely more brutalized by the habitual employment of punishment, than it is by the occasional occurrence of crime. - Oscar Wilde
It's true - human beings are the worst animals of them all. No other species would intentionally bully another shy, vulnerable member of the species; no other species would avoid the consequences of their bad actions by lying that another member of the species was responsible for them. And no other species would put one group in control of others and then turn a blind eye when the controlling group oversteps their authority with cruelty or plain malice. Poor, sweet Rhea (perfectly played by the astonishingly adept Ms Lola Wood!) - excellently crafted movie all 'round! 👏🏻
Simply untrue, I'm afraid. Bullying, however horrible, exists throughout the animal kingdom.
@@ricrandmfx Those are two entirely different kinds of bullying, and you should know it. Animals exert dominance and show aggression (you could say 'bullying') for reasons of survival while humans bully out of spite or to intentionally cause psychological harm or simply out of pleasure in seeing other humans suffer. Also, more importantly, trauma of bullied humans can last for ages, severely hamper the human's daily life, and in some cases even push that human to suicide.
😍 Great comment
@@bsfbestshortfilmsonyoutube Very kind!
This is completely consistent with my opinion of police and of school administration.
The smallest bully in the group is tagging along with the other two bullies so she won’t become targeted. It’s very like her that when her two “friends” get caught, she is nowhere in sight.
In case you didn't understood. This is a movie to legalize and reward bullying saying no matter what the bullies are doing, they are always doing it for the right reasons. Even if their parents have to create evidences of some inexistant crimes later.
@@tobe-you-tube6612This film is in no way pushing to reward bullies.
i don't know what's going on in this reply section but i just wanna clear this all 3 bullies were caught, no the little bully didn't ran away and in no way this film is rewarding bullies.
Maybe, you enjoyed the movie from a different perspective. I respect yours and don't say you're wrong. But the overall message seems to imply that there is no smoke without fire. This is not always true. After watching it, it felt like the bullies responsability was minimized. Don't underestimate the mental conditionning power in it. Even if you can't clearly see it.
@@tobe-you-tube6612bullying isn’t illegal…growing weed is. This isn’t a film about the consequences of bullying.
None of those bullies will be held accountable for what they did! One of the saddest movies ever. Mxm!
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆Absolute masterpiece of a short film. Well done. This hit a nerve for me, on how ridiculous cannabis laws are. Illegal obviously shows how corrupt and ridiculous our government is towards it. Here is the most truthful & honest example : In the Uk & Ireland there are more than 88 deaths per month from the drug Ethanol / Alcohol. The whole planet earth. There is not 1 recorded death from cannabis use. But, Alcohol is celebrated while cannabis is frowned upon. The only ills of cannabis use are keeping it illegal. This causes tugs to sell potent or chemically toxic weed. In sunny Spain an ' ADULT BABY ' is allowed to grow x 3 plants without the paranoia the piggies are going to make an arrest. FREE THE MEDICAL HERB. NOW. 2024. WAKE UP ▶
the bullies are despicable, those 3 girls are nasty too
Poor girl.
Great story and really well shot. Was great to work on this
Great film! Isn''t it great how we live in a world where cannabis is demonized, and alcohol is glamorized.
It's an upside down world!
I take oramorph, got caught growing weed in 2019, haven't grown it since but it's a stronger pain relief than morphine in my opinion
So warrants aren't a thing in England?
I wondered that myself. Lady cop just waltzed right in the back door.
It’s sort of a gamble; if no evidence then it’s their loss, but most cases the cops are pretty sure they’ll find something there.
They are not allowed to enter without permission from the owner, yes the cop broke the law.
@@hamstersdailylife4938evidence or not, it's illegal.
@@abraxasjinx5207 I meant it’s illegal without gain, or illegal with gain.
Wow, what a brilliant, inciteful film. Well done.
Wonderful film. So well written and acted.
The bullies are harmless little brats. The real villain is pulling the strings from above., they call it Big farma.
What a nasty ending! It can not end like this!
ikr i feel let down , was hoping they'd be some type of justice for the 3 nasty bullies . And that we'd see the Dad recover ok . But sadly i think he dies and the girl probably ends up in care as a orphan 🙄.
Great short film! Thank you very much. Is there a version in French or with French subtitles?
LEGALISE IT...!
This is a powerful short & well done. It points out some sad facts about humanity & opens discussions for several topics. The ending felt a bit abrupt though, perhaps for a possible follow-up?
That’s why it’s becoming legalized in so much of the states
Well done film . Fine acting. Marijuana/ Medical Marijuana is much ado about nothing. The Female Officer entered the house without a Warrant. None of the contraband can be used in a Court Case. [ I do not know the Law there as I'm originally from the U.S.A. ] All the aspects of the Film were excellent. _____
Thank you.
So sad for them😢
Again, well done!👍🏽❤️🎬
Oh dang we got a late/early drop! I’m still missing those weekend marathons 👍
someone's never grown weed; you clearly do not have your clones, flowering plants, and drying buds in the same space
Thank goodness more governments are coming around to the common sense policy of cannabis decriminalization. Over half of US states now permit cannabis for medical (or even recreational) use, and Germany just decriminalized possession and use for everyone. Kudos to films like this for helping that process along.
this has me pulling a Darth Vader no by the end.
Did the home help not smell the weed growing, it be strong
Carbon filters - a grower's secret weapon ;)
Legalize it!
Absolutely incredible film! It’s a REALLY powerful piece showing a VERY real depiction of what MANY families face on a daily basis under the ridiculous prohibition laws in the UK. Little homage to my son Deryn Blackwell in there, Rhea attends Blackwell Academy ☺️ Happy 420 🪴🫶❤️
The worst Omeleto, it brought up so much negativity with police and their deceitful ways. (I love Omeleto).
Genesis 1 verse 29.
And the point is ???
F