Run
Director's Statement
RUN is based on a true story.
I am always struck and moved by stories that deal with loss: loss of one's life dreams, loss of love, of happiness... "Run" is about a boy I met in hospital. Or more accurately, a boy I lay next to whilst recovering from a major operation.
A silent, beautiful, teenage boy who had just had very radical surgery.
When you are heavily loaded up with pain relief, a minute can seem like an hour and people you don't know at all become, over a few days or, in my case, weeks, crucial to your sanity; as important to you as your family. Visitors drift in and out and their suffering for their loved ones becomes your concern. But as you recover, life takes normal shape again and you go back to your home forgetting everybody.
I never forgot this boy - my "Tom." I don't know if he survived, but I so wanted him to achieve his childhood dream of being a brilliant star in the football field; if it couldn't be the way he had dreamed of, then, perhaps, he would find a role to play that had just as much value.
I suppose that is the message of the story. Everybody has a place. And with your tribe, your friends supporting you, the world can still be your oyster. It will all work out okay.
