Measure - a short film by Helen Simmons & Julia Cranney

Helen Simmons (F*ck) and Julia Cranney’s Measure is a short film that hits you with a double dose of relatability, tackling themes of teenage regrets and parental struggles. As we follow its protagonist – Jen (Callie Cooke), a mother raising an autistic child – we’re drawn into her world, experiencing her concerns and feeling her frustrations. An immersive piece, eager to let you see things through the eyes of its central character, Measure encourages its audience to consider how they perceive the world and those around them.

“The film draws on our experiences as parents”

Written and directed by Simmons and Cranney, the pair admit that one of their aims for their short was “to make people reflect on their attitudes towards disability and neurodiversity, and to think back on how they may (or may not) have changed since their own youth”. Measure effectively achieves this by exploring the interplay between Jen’s past and present, inviting the audience to contemplate the connections between the two.

Initially, as we’re introduced to Jen and her young son, the film is all about the present. As we witness how this mother prepares her autistic son, using a PECS board, for a party hosted by an old school friend, we get a sense of the demands that come with raising a child with a developmental disability. Though inspired by the directorial duo’s own “experiences as parents”, the film allows anyone to empathise with Jen, regardless of their own experiences.

Callie Cooke as Jen in Measure

However, the empathy extends beyond Jen as a parent to Jen as an adult still scarred by childhood trauma, specifically from her bully, Bryony Brindle. This brings us to the present, where Bryony, along with her daughter (who, spoiler alert, mirrors her mother’s behaviour), is also attending the party. Here, Measure shifts into a revenge fantasy, as Jen seeks retribution – first on the dancefloor, then later in the car park.

Essentially, Measure is a short that impresses on multiple levels. The writing is complex and engaging, the central performance from Cooke is utterly captivating and the production elevates both the authentic and fantasy elements of the narrative. With both Simmons (Producer) and Cranney (Writer) usually involved in other areas of filmmaking, this project signals a promising future for the duo as directors, should they choose to pursue that path with their evident talents.