Left Behind

Directed by Matt Ford

2022

Pretty Hate Productions

A contemplative opening is a soft start for some hard topics in Matthew R. Ford’s new drama Left Behind which focuses on the fallout and pain of domestic abuse.

Savannah Gallo stars as Kat, a victim of horrific intimidation and bullying who shares her harrowing experiences in a conversation with Melissa (played by Grace Farrell).

From beatings to verbal tormenting, Kat delves deep into her past, calmly explaining her situation and describing the mistreatment in often uncomfortable and agonising detail.

Looking for a way out, the film suggests how she considered self-harm and turning to alcohol to alleviate the hell she went through. And as she explains the circumstances of past actions, we can more than sympathise with her awful predicament.

Melissa shares her experiences as well, yet speaks harshly about how Kat “could have stopped it” as it is revealed both women suffered humiliating experiences with the same man.

As well as the heated exploration of their mistreatment, the two get into heated arguments with each other also, with accusations flying and, sadly, blame being appointed.

The script slowly teases out the difficult details and the projection of scenes onto a window blind feel like memories sneaking through the bars of a prison cell. And shocking bloody make-up at a surprising point in the story also serves to show the real-life ramifications of these assaults. Ford's almost constant use of close-ups capture the subtle delivery and show an intimacy with these ladies' plights and keeps the focus on them, not the abuser.

“I’m not supposed to be here”, says Melissa and the film’s main conceit about their true link isn’t explicitly stated – although it is pretty clear from the outset what their current situation is - as Melissa acts as a sort of spiritual conscience “sitting” on the shoulder of Kat as the film cuts between them.

Towards the end, and after much debate, there comes a moment of calmness as Kat begins to explore parts of her life that were denied to her by her abusive partner.

Left Behind is a challenging watch – both in dealing with the thorny issues at hand but also with a slightly subdued pace and single-location shoot for its entire 25-minute duration. This pace does however allow for scenes and dialogue to be taken in fully and thought over before moving on.

The honourable efforts in tackling such delicate subject matter should be applauded though, although it could be argued a tighter edit and a more impactful opening could have helped increase engagement.

That said, Left Behind also ensures it covers all aspects of domestic abuse, not just the physical attacks but also the micro intimidation and coercive control of an abuser. This is bolstered by two well-judged performances from both lead actresses who help keep the focus truly on the victims of these alarming incidents. And the director clearly knows, and shows, these still occur far too often in society. Therefore with this work, it’s suitably as much educative as is it performative.

★★★☆☆

Michael Sales

If you’re experiencing domestic abuse, free and confidential support and advice is available 24 hours a day at Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247