Rob Munday
As a father of two boys, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have to stand by and watch one of my sons go to prison. For the parents at the centre of Charlotte Regan’s Fry-Up, this is exactly the scenario they’re facing. With their son facing sentence for an unspecified crime, this subtle but powerful eight-minute film follows the family in the preparation and aftermath of the trial.
Inspired by her own experiences of seeing friends and family sent to prison, Writer/Director Regan hopes her film will make her audience think about the families affected in these situations and not just jump to conclusions.
“I was always really surprised at how people behaved the morning before a sentencing court case”, Regan reveals. “Some people were hopeful and others just didn’t mention it whilst a few would try and prepare the person for the worst. It was always an incredibly tense atmosphere”.
For a film that takes an intimate look at the emotions bubbling under the surface of a family drama such as this, Regan shows great restraint with her depiction of such a devastating event for a household. Avoiding some of the more obvious dramatic moments she could have easily portrayed in Fry-Up, the director instead points her gaze at some of the quieter minutes this family spends together as a complete unit.
This approach doesn’t mean Fry-Up loses any of its power or impact though, in fact quite the opposite. Like many of the most thought-provoking shorts, it’s these quieter, more reflective moments that allow you the viewer a little time and space to think about the characters, their emotions and how you would feel in their shoes.
By not focusing on the crime, Regan isn’t asking for sympathy or forgiveness for the offender of her film, instead she’s just asking you take a step back and look at the consequences crime can have on their friends and family.
Fry-Up has had a healthy festival run over the last year, playing Sundance, Berlinale and London Film Festival. Charlotte is now focusing on her next projects – a new fictional short titled Dodgy Dave and a BFI-funded short documentary called Drug Runner, which aims to recreate the experiences of a 15-year-old cocaine dealer.