Helen

An 18-year-old girl called Joy has gone missing. Another girl called Helen is a few weeks away from leaving her care home. Helen is asked to ‘play’ Joy in a police reconstruction that will retrace Joy’s last known movements. Joy had everything. A loving family, a boyfriend, a bright future. Helen, parentless, has lived in institutions all her life and has never been close to anyone. Gradually, Helen begins to immerse herself into the role, visiting the people and places that Joy knew; quietly and carefully insinuating her way into the lost girl’s life. But is Helen trying to find out what happened to Joy that day, or is she searching for her own identity?
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.
Script: Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor
Cinematography: Ole Birkeland
Editing: Christine Molloy
Sound: Simon Gillman
Music: Dennis McNulty
Actors: Annie Townsend (Helen), Sandie Malia (Mrs Thompson), Dennis Jobling (Mr Thompson), Sonia Saville (Police Officer Saville), Danny Groenland (Danny), Sheila Hamilton (personal advisor)
Production: Desperate Optimists
Producers: Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor
Format: 35mm Color
Production Country: UK
Production Year: 2008
Duration: 79
Contact: Desperate Optimists, UKT. +44 78 7043 1722info@desperateoptimists.comwww.desperateoptimists.com

Christine Molloy

Over the past 4 years the creative duet Desperate Optimists has been working on a project called Civic Life. Civic Life involved local community groups in the production of nine high-quality short films for the cinema, shot on 35mm cinemascope making extensive use of the long take. In 2004, the duet’s film Who Killed Brown Owl won the award for Best British Short Film at the Edinburgh IFF. In 2008 Desperate Optimists latest short film Joy won the Prix UIP Rotterdam at the Rotterdam IFF. Helen is the culmination of the Civic Life series.

Filmography

(Selected)
2004 Who Killed Brown Owl (short)
2008 Joy (short)
2008 Helen

Joe Lawlor

Over the past 4 years the creative duet Desperate Optimists has been working on a project called Civic Life. Civic Life involved local community groups in the production of nine high-quality short films for the cinema, shot on 35mm cinemascope making extensive use of the long take. In 2004, the duet’s film Who Killed Brown Owl won the award for Best British Short Film at the Edinburgh IFF. In 2008 Desperate Optimists latest short film Joy won the Prix UIP Rotterdam at the Rotterdam IFF. Helen is the culmination of the Civic Life series.

Filmography

(Selected)
2004 Who Killed Brown Owl (short)
2008 Joy (short)
2008 Helen