Leanne

Think you could become a victim of domestic abuse? What’s that you say? No fear.

What if you did… what would you make of the concept of fear then?

That is the central premise of Jamie Steedman’s short, which follows Leanne (Pam Christenson) as she tries to move on with her life after escaping the spectre of domestic abuse.

It’s easy to forget the aftermath of abuse and Steedman’s film points this out, using memories of violence to make the point that once it’s happened to you, it’s easy to be scared of making a connection again.

Christenson puts in a fine performance as Leanne but, unfortunately, the interplay between her and her new neighbour (Tim Swain) lets the film down a little. The dialogue doesn’t quite ring true. Equally, there isn’t quite enough sense of dread in the scenes where she faces violence from her former partner (Keith Markey). He doesn’t sound nearly angry enough to be truly convincing.

That said, there are some good directorial ideas here and, curiously, the four minute version of the film – which I watched after seeing the longer cut – packs more of an emotional punch.