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Growing Pains is a short film written and directed by Jack Curtis and presented by BFI Network. It has so far won two awards, including Best Screenplay at the Dam Short Film Festival and Best International Short at the Anthem Film Festival. The film was released to watch for free on 20th April to celebrate 420, and you can find it on YouTube Here.
The film follows Rhea, a young student and carer for her father Martin who is disabled from an accident which took the life of her mum. Rhea is responsible for helping her dad around the house, which includes tending to his cannabis plants which he uses medicinally.
This subject is all too familiar to those of us in an industry where patients have been subjected to humiliation and criminality for seeking to alleviate their suffering with cannabis. Although medical cannabis is now legal in the UK many medical consumers are still consuming street or self-grown cannabis for a variety of reasons.
With a runtime of just 14:27, I won’t give too much away about the plot but will say this is well worth a watch. Heart-wrenching, emotionally charged and raw, this look at the struggles Rhea faces while trying to do the right thing will leave you questioning why society treats cannabis and the people involved with it in this manner.
I spoke to Jack Curtis, director of Growing Pains, to ask him about the film, the inspiration and how he found working on the project:
Can you share the inspiration behind Growing Pains and what drove you to create a film addressing the consequences of cannabis prohibition?
The inspiration for the film came from a friend who was personally providing support for somebody being kept alive by cannabis. This particular patient, my friend revealed, was breaking the law to grow his own plants but was too ill to look after the plants himself, so this became the loving responsibility of his young child. This scenario really stuck with me and formed the central idea for Growing Pains. I think I was drawn to this situation because of the jeopardy; if these people were ever to get caught, the consequences would be dire.
The film touches on the challenges faced by individuals who rely on cannabis for medical reasons. What kind of research or personal experiences influenced the portrayal of these struggles in the narrative?
It was very much real people that influenced the portrayal of these struggles. I know a lot of people who rely, or have relied, on cannabis to live a pain-free life. What I find really sad is these people often feel they can’t talk openly about it for fear of repercussions at work or in their wider family life; fear of judgement, or worse, ostracisation. It’s interesting that society still views addictive prescription opioid drugs as “good drugs”, yet cannabis, with zero physically addictive properties, still holds the “bad drug” stigma.
With the recent legal changes surrounding medical cannabis in the UK, do you feel optimistic about the future of accessibility for patients like those depicted in the film?
I definitely do feel optimistic, yes. But we still have battles to fight. Cannabis was “legalised” in November 2018, but in the first eight months of the new legislation, only twelve prescriptions had been issued by the NHS! If you can afford expensive private healthcare, you may be in for a chance, but for everyone else, like Martin in the film, breaking the law is still the only viable option.
Growing Pains delves into the complex dynamics of caregiving and the lengths individuals go to for their loved ones’ well-being. How do you think the film resonates with audiences who may have similar caregiving experiences?
Care is a strong theme in the film, and caregiving comes with sacrifices. For Rhea, that sacrifice is her childhood. She’s 13; she should be hanging out with friends having fun, but she’s had to grow up fast because without her care, her small family would quickly fall apart. I think (hope) this resonates with audiences because the film reflects the spectrum of emotions that come with care, and sacrifices more broadly, from love and compassion to frustration and exhaustion.
The film has garnered recognition at various film festivals, including winning awards for Best Screenplay and Best International Short. How has this recognition impacted your perspective on the importance of storytelling through film?
Storytelling helps us to understand the world and ourselves. The conversations the film has sparked, such as this one, have only strengthened this perspective for me. The Anthem Libertarian Film Festival in the USA dedicated a post-screening panel to discuss the film’s subject matters in detail which was hosted by Angela McArdle, chair of the Libertarian Party in Los Angeles. It’s been brilliant to witness this type of response. This had always been my intention, so to see these conversations come to life as a result of the film has been extremely rewarding.
Can you elaborate on the significance of releasing the film for free on 4/20 and its potential impact on raising awareness about the issues addressed in the narrative?
April 20th has become the unofficial International Cannabis Day, so it seemed like a very fitting date to release the film publicly on YouTube. While 4/20 festivities primarily focus on the recreational aspects of cannabis, the film serves as a poignant reminder that behind the celebrations lie real struggles, especially for vulnerable people who don’t have a voice due to the serious consequences they may face if their secret became exposed.
As both the writer and director of Growing Pains, what were some of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of bringing this story to life?
The biggest challenge, as is often the case, was raising the money to make it. This alone required a great deal of work from myself and producer Greg, but thankfully we were successful, which was incredibly rewarding in and of itself. But for me, the most rewarding aspect was witnessing the collaboration and creativity of the cast and crew in bringing the script to life. I believe the synergy of everyone’s efforts contributed to the film’s authenticity. We were extremely blessed to have a cast and crew who really “got” the project and wanted to help make it into a reality.
How did you approach assembling the cast and ensuring that each member contributed to the film’s overall vision?
All of the young people in the film were cast from a drama group in Nottingham called The Television Workshop; it has a very strong reputation for nurturing acting talent and I was a member of this group myself when I was younger. For me, casting from there was a no-brainer. The bullies were the easiest to cast, I knew exactly who my bullies were going to be from the first day of auditions. Rhea, the lead, was a little more difficult to settle on. As the heart of the story, Rhea required an actor who could convey a complex range of experiences convincingly. Finding the right balance of vulnerability, strength, and resilience was crucial, and it took careful consideration and multiple auditions to settle on Lola Wood. What still amazes me is that Growing Pains was the first time she’d ever acted on camera. She was amazing.
In your director’s statement, you mentioned witnessing firsthand the positive effects of medical cannabis. How do you hope Growing Pains contributes to reshaping societal attitudes towards cannabis?
Growing Pains may be a modest contribution to the wider discussion, but I hope it carries lasting significance. Through its portrayal of characters relying on cannabis for medical purposes, the film helps to challenge stereotypes and stigma associated with cannabis and its users. Now that it has a permanent online home, I hope it continues to gently nudge societal attitudes towards a more informed and compassionate view of cannabis, one viewer at a time.
You can watch Growing Pains below or here on YouTube
Learn more about the background, story and cast at growing-pains-film.com
