THE FLAG
A new drama short
A Lesbian couple of colour take issue with their neighbour's flag, but after discovering the real situation next door, a bridge can finally be built.
Story
A compelling narrative unfolds around two women of colour who move into a new neighbourhood and immediately face what they perceive as prejudice, highlighted by their neighbour's prominent display of the St. George's flag. While one new neighbour champions building bridges, the other dismisses the effort. As the story progresses, a darker truth emerges: the neighbour is trapped in an abusive relationship with her own son, the likely source of the prejudice and the flag's placement.
The new neighbours find a way to connect with the introverted and withdrawn woman. In a critical moment, one of them must intervene and help after the son physically assaults his mother. Following the son's incarceration, the neighbour responds to the kindness she has received with a powerful gesture of her own: she orders a Pride flag to fly alongside the St. George's flag. She doesn't remove the original flag, acknowledging that it doesn't inherently represent hate if used correctly. By adding the Pride flag, she signals support for her new neighbours now that she feels safe. The narrative concludes with a final twist, underscoring that no one is truly safe from the insidious reach of jingoism or racism.
We are still looking for further funding. To read our Pitch Deck click here.
WRITER'S STATEMENT
I was recently working in a small English town and on the way from the station to my digs, the driver apologised for all the English St George’s Cross flags that we were passing. It really struck me how the narrative has shifted when it comes to how we relate to our flags. A symbol of pride and patriotism, usually reserved for sporting events and national holidays, has become a symbol for aggressive jingoism or colonial shame, depending on which side of the argument you fall. As a Welshman I have always been proud of my flag, and was never bothered by anyone else’s: a flag was just something that represented a country.
However, once I had come out and embraced my identity as a gay man, the Pride flag came to mean so much to me and I could never imagine apologising for that flag. This is why the story came to me, because I wanted to look at how the symbol of a flag can mean so many different things to whomever sees it, depending on how they sit in the cultural and political spectrum. I have always tried to look at the world from more than my own perspective, and this continues with the Flag.
The three women central to the piece are all seeing the world differently and make assumptions based on their own personal experience. Milly works in a more communal environment and so is keen to build a bridge wherever she can, Alicia works from home and is more cynical, seeing the world in only black and white, and finally Carol is stifled by a domestic situation that she cannot escape and has to show huge bravery in order to embrace someone else’s flag, and what it will mean for the three of them.
