An award-winning independent film about the cost of living that took 13 years to make, according to the director, has more relevance now than she ever imagined.
In 2011, during a time of government austerity, Jane Gull began writing the script for Love Without Walls while working with homeless people.
On Friday, the movie, which was filmed in Southend, the hometown of Ms. Gull, opens in theaters.
She explained that the goal was to reflect what was happening.
The fact that I now look at this movie and think, "Blimey, this really is a film of its time," is something I didn't even realize when we were filming it two years ago.
"I mean, I think this movie pretty much captures what the UK was like in 2023, so to speak," the speaker said. ".
The movie, which is her first full-length work, centers on a young married couple who loses their home in Camden, north London, due to a string of unfortunate events and the rising cost of living.
Paul (Niall McNamee, a musician) and Sophie (Shana Swash. EastEnders. (some of whom) attempt couch surfing in Southend-on-Sea but wind up rough sleeping.
Ms. Gull said, "It tells the story of love and attempting to survive in the face of adversity.
In late 2019, the screenwriter went back to her old script and ran it by her producer Karen Newman while working on a feature film about the Essex witch trials, a project that was still in development.
The duo decided the dark first half of 2021—when the UK was still in its third enforced lockdown—was the ideal time for filming.
She claimed that "we might not have made this film" if Covid hadn't been available.
Before working abroad as a professional dancer, including on cruise ships, Ms. Gull was born and raised in Rochford, close to Southend. She currently resides in South Woodford with her husband and pet dog.
The majority of her short films were shot in south Essex, as was her sole previous feature film, My Feral Heart.
To attract production companies to the region, Essex County Council established a special film office last year.
It's an excellent location for filming, she declared.
"We filmed My Feral Heart in Rochford, Hockley, and Great Stambridge, but it only takes ten minutes to get to Southend; you couldn't find two more distinct landscapes.
"Because of its size, Basildon and Saffron Walden cannot be compared. ".
The 2016 movie My Feral Heart, which featured a young man with Down syndrome, garnered 14 international film awards.
In addition to being nominated for four National Film Awards, Love Without Walls has already won Best UK Feature at the Manchester Film Festival and Best UK Feature at the London Independent Film Festival.
Ms. Gull insists that she is not trying to make a statement despite the film's dark sociopolitical themes.
She said, "You could call it political, but it's really a look at humanity and how hard life can be.
She claims that since the filming, references to a cashless society and our reliance on technology, like internet banking, have gained more significance.
"When you have a place to call your home, it's the things you take for granted," she said.
"Anyone could become homeless. ".
A Love Without Walls. premieres in theaters across the UK starting on Friday. and in Southend-on-Sea, Ipswich, Harwich, Saffron Walden, Colchester, and Chelmsford.
