ALL UP THERE

Directed by
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A portrait of youth, womanhood and medical misogyny

20-something Eilidh desperately seeks answers from her GP after debilitating pain presses pause on her life.

Crippling pelvic pain, extreme diarrhoea, full-body spasms, projectile vomiting, never-ending fatigue - Eilidh should be capitalising on her first moments of adulthood but instead is seeking answers for her mysterious debilitating pain. Lactose Intolerance? An STI? Cancer? Note to self: never Google symptoms again. We follow Eilidh to a GP appointment as she desperately seeks answers for the mysterious and debilitating pain that relentlessly haunts her. Exploring the complexities, thrills, horrors and humiliations of chronic illness whilst coming of age, All Up There embarks on a journey towards uncovering the truth behind Eilidh’s torture.All Up There was made with a fully female/non-binary crew and filmed entirely in Glasgow on a £2000 budget with the support of GMAC Film and Creative Scotland.

Macrae: All Up There is a coming-of-age tale detailing the difficulties of growing up with a chronic illness. While the film is inspired by and features a very personal experience living with this debilitating condition, I hope it represents the similar, relentless story of the millions of women around the world who also suffer, who fail to feel appropriately represented or fully visible amidst their pain.The portrayal of youth and an emergence into womanhood was really important to me in making this film, shining a light on a love for music and dance, for the confusing joyousness that can be found whilst coming of age, and the nuances of doing so in a working class environment. Working with local hometown DJ, Kerr Darling, to compose a track that integrates the experience of trying to reach diagnosis, the repetitiveness, the brief moments of hope before falling back into the mundane, was critical in the formation of the film. I want exuberance, life, colour, warmth. I also want the pain, bleakness – the desperation.In the UK, it takes on average eight years to be diagnosed with Endometriosis. This film’s mission is to depict a fragment of the seemingly perpetual cycle in successfully reaching a diagnosis. Working with an all-female crew I believe was extremely motivating and energising when in search of the best way to translate the medical misogyny often associated within gynaecological treatment. I hope in making this film, viewers who have never heard of the condition, those who know it well, those who have someone close who suffers just as badly, if not worse than our protagonist Eilidh, can identify the necessity for urgent understanding and the vital change needed around Endometriosis care.

CREDITS

Starring
@hannah_collins01
@rain.goblin
@suzanne_magowan

Written/Directed/Edited @bonmacrae
Produced @hollyjackinstagram @hannahhuntr
DoP @nelisaalcalde
1st AD @hannahhuntr
1st AC @amyu.rquhart
2nd AC @rubyseber
Gaffer @deemcgloin
Art Dept @k3i5s
Sound @sarah.carrutherss @ryankerraudio
Wardrobe @ola.skowyra
Colour @sirkowski
Music @kerrdaarling
Poster @byjamiej

Supported by
@gmacfilm
@screenscots
@mtp_scotland