BAFTA® NOMINATED ACTRESS HELEN BEHAN STARS IN ‘SUZIE’ WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY JIMMY DEAN

A housewife’s daily routine is disrupted.

Produced by Academy award-winning Slick Films and starring BAFTA-nominated Helen Behan (The Virtues, This Is England 88’, 90’), ‘Suzie’ will explore the experience of a middle-aged woman on the day she tells her son she is getting a divorce. The film will deal with the anguish of preparing and coping with monumental change, confronting the complexity of family life and celebrating the strength shown to find new solutions.

‘Suzie’ is told in its entirety in only 10 shots, with each scene playing out as a single take. The slow, considered style of the film invites you to fully experience Suzie’s growing dread and anguish as she tries to carry out her normal routine on a life-changing day.

Jimmy Dean: “This is a film that is very close to my heart and one of the main reasons I wanted to tell this story is that I don’t feel I’ve ever seen someone like my mum represented on screen. Lately, we’ve seen beautiful, important stories about female trailblazers and history-makers. I’d like to compliment that by telling a small, personal story about an everyday super-woman.”

Helen Behan: “It was the whole concept of divorce and how he (Jimmy) was approaching it and that was the draw. It’s not your usual look at divorce, sometimes a partner isn’t beaten or cheated on, sometimes terrible things don’t happen, sometimes people just drift and separate. These stories need to be told.”

Ash Horne: “Drawing from my own experience of my parents divorce, ‘Suzie’ will connect with many others who have also had to come to terms with that sort of loss, guilt and ultimately, grief.

To watch two people you unconditionally love and care for come to petty blows, is something you can never really prepare yourself for. Divorce is not just a painful process for the couple involved, but by natural extension, their children. No matter what age. 

‘Suzie’ is part of my own personal process, and although my experience of divorce is completely different to the film, I feel passionately about starting up a conversation with others who may have gone through a similar traumatic ordeal, to bring them some sort of comfort and hope in that, no matter how much pain you might be feeling right now, everything will be for the best in the end.”

Jimmy Dean is an award-winning Director whose short films have screened and won prizes at international film festivals. His previous short film V had its World Premiere at the BFI London Film Festival and received a Vimeo Staff Pick. His graduation film Offside was awarded the XX Award for Best Female Representation by Screen International at Underwire Film Festival and was also handpicked by the British Film Council and Into Film for educational programs to be taught within UK schools. He is currently in development with the BFI on his first feature film. 

‘Suzie’ had its World Premiere at the Academy Award, BAFTA and IFTA Qualifying 35th Galway Film Fleadh and it’s UK Premiere at the BAFTA and BIFA qualifying Bolton Film Festival.