On 12th September a short film, One Day at a Time, was premiered at the Light Cinema in Bolton’s Market Place. The film was written by, and stars, members of the community theatre group Act Out, who meet weekly at the Octagon Theatre, supported by Bolton at Home, the Octagon Theatre and later Stone Soup.
Using their own experiences of mental health to inform the piece, One Day at a Time explores how day to day events can become overwhelming for someone living with poor mental health. The film explores the complexities of relationships, austerity, bereavement, social service interventions and life.
The choice of monochrome rather than colour for the majority of the film adds to the claustrophic, bleak atmosphere in this piece about a mother, Vera, struggling to cope with raising children on her own, seemingly with no insight into her own mental health issues which are contributing significantly to the difficulties she is experiencing. Others, including social services, become increasingly involved in her and her family’s lives. The film is perhaps most effective when Vera breaks the fourth wall to address the audience. This happens a number of times, often while others around her continue with their conversations, and the device helps the audience to understand the degree to which Vera is overwhelmed by events, and her feelings of having no control over those events.
Dawn Yates-Obé, Community Investment Manager for Bolton at Home, worked closely with the group. Dawn said: “The film was created using the script writers’ experiences of living in a neighbourhood where people often have chaotic lives, all the more amplified when someone is living with depression. It’s a powerful and important piece, and having the opportunity to premiere One Day at a Time at Light Cinema Bolton means we can reach more people to raise awareness of the scale and impact of poor mental health; as well as inform people of available support services and community activities.”