Scottish director behind powerful new film on sexual violence
I Did Everything Right is a new short film by rising Aberdeenshire director Andy Twyman, and is currently in pre-production.
The film is based on the real experience of young actor Phoebe Cleghorn (below, left) – who wrote and also stars in the project – after she was followed home one evening while solo travelling in Italy.
L to R: Writer and actor Phoebe Cleghorn, producer Lucy Jessica, director Andy Twyman (Image: Supplied)
"The focus of the story isn't on the act itself – it’s about the aftermath. That’s a really important distinction that we want to make," Cleghorn, originally from Cambridgeshire, told the Sunday National.
"I had this experience around three years ago, and I knew that it affected my mental health in the immediate aftermath.
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"I was struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep; I was waking up having panic attacks. I totally lost my sense of safety."
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly one in three women will experience sexual violence in their lifetime – and studies show that those who have are more likely to experience depression, anxiety and other psychological disorders.
Meanwhile, data from NHS Scotland shows that around 3.6% of adults in Scotland have experienced at least one type of serious sexual assault since the age of 16.
Cleghorn told the Sunday National that she internalised the emotions she felt in the aftermath of the experience, because she did not understand why she was feeling this way – or whether it was something other women also experienced.
Phoebe Cleghorn (Image: Harry Livingstone)
But this changed when she listened to a true crime podcast called The Knife, where hosts Hannah Smith and Patia Eaton interview people affected by crime and learn more about the "ripple effect" that follows.
"Listening to it, I realised maybe all of this stuff that I'm carrying is actually a result of the trauma that I had and the fear that I feel that something like this is going to happen again – even if it's not conscious," she told the Sunday National.
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"I realised the power of sharing your experience to show other women they're not alone in what they're going through.
"Just because a woman survives an experience doesn't mean that they aren't profoundly affected for the rest of their lives."
She began writing the script, and although it felt difficult, the process became "immensely cathartic".
Cleghorn said her writing process involves picturing the action which takes place in the story and putting herself "there in my imagination", to translate that feeling into words.
"If I'm doing that with an experience that I've personally had, I'm then putting myself back into that situation that I hadn't maybe directly thought about since it happened," she added.
Alongside writing, Cleghorn is also taking up the starring role in the project, which she described as a "different kind of acting challenge".
"It would be lazy of me to approach it and just say, ‘I've been through this, I know what this is’. I'm three years older and the person I am on the day of the shoot will be different to the person I am the week before that," she said.
"It’s about trying to detach from this having happened to me, and approaching it as the person I am today."
Cleghorn said that "violence against women and girls isn't a women's issue – it’s a societal issue" that has become normalised.
"It's so deeply rooted in global society, and women are just expected to bear the brunt of that, quietly," she told the Sunday National.
The writer and actor hopes people will come away from the film feeling "seen and understood, and less shame in the behaviours they've developed in order to cope".
For those who might not have encountered a similar experience, Cleghorn said she wants the project to "increase empathy and understanding and awareness".
She added: "Because it's so normalised, I think a lot of people don't quite understand the harmful impact that a single experience can have on somebody, and the kind of silent battles that they might be going through."
Andy Twyman (Image: Supplied)
Meanwhile, director Twyman – originally from Kintore in Aberdeenshire, but now based in London – said he hopes the film will resonate with people in Scotland.
"Even though the story unfolds abroad, the feelings at its core are painfully familiar to women in Scotland," he told the Sunday National.
"The streets might look different, but that experience of being followed, planning your route home, and constantly risk‑assessing your surroundings is something most women here recognise instantly."
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Twyman said that as a Scottish filmmaker, "reflecting that shared reality matters", as he pointed towards the country's own "stark figures" on gender-based violence and harassment.
"Setting the film overseas underlines that this fear travels with women wherever they go, rather than belonging to one particular place."
While the topic is "challenging", Twyman said he was drawn to Cleghorn's script because it was "rooted in a very real sense of truth".
"We often see acts of violence in film and TV, but very rarely see the aftermath of it, the lasting effect," he told the Sunday National.
"It's also rare to come across a film that feels like it actually has the power to effect proper change, and I really believe that Phoebe's script does that."
Twyman described the experience so far as "eye-opening", adding: "I think it's really easy to just accept that men are the predominant perpetrators without really asking why, examining behaviours and then exploring ways of tackling them.
"This is the question that's constantly buzzing in the back of my mind."
The team behind the short film – which comprises Cleghorn, Twyman and producer Lucy Jessica – is currently crowdfunding for the project, with the aim of shooting in the spring, including a potential location shoot in Rome.
In the long term, the trio hope to find a permanent home for the film, such as on a UK broadcaster or a streaming service.
There are also plans for collaboration with organisations that help people affected by sexual violence, with the possibility of using the film as a campaign tool to raise awareness.
Click here to find out more about I Did Everything Right.
