Shedding light on the brutal reality of domestic abuse

THE title of their film may be ‘Silence is Golden’, but keeping quiet is the last thing on the minds of four Kerry actresses who have taken it upon themselves to shine a light on the horrors and realities of domestic abuse.

Selina Switzer, Miriam Moriarty Owens, Rebecca Kemp and Mary Tuohy are the minds behind the project and they say that their main aim with the film is to empower all those in abusive relationships to speak up, not be ashamed and to break away from the situation.

The idea for the mini-film, which will be 15-20 minutes in length and feature dramtisations of four real-life actual abusive events, came through Selina’s own experiences of having a friend who suffered from a violent relationship.

The film is currently still in production in and around the Tralee area and filming some of the harrowing stories can be quite difficult and emotional at times, Miriam said, adding that the public need to see the realities of what abuse is actually like.

“We’ve almost finished filming two of the four accounts and we were all in tears by the end of one of the stories. It was very harrowing to experience what these women went through,” she told The Kerryman.

“It certainly would have been easier to just write about these stories and to share them online, but to act them out, to let people see the violence and terror, that will have a much bigger impact,” she continued.

“We received a number of stories from people who had suffered at the hands of abusive partners and family members. We chose the four stories that we thought would be the most uncomfortable, that would have the most impact and which would get under the skin of the viewers,” Miriam added.

The four events, which will be acted out in the film, have been given names by the production team: ‘Hatchet Job’, ‘Bible Basher’, ‘Don’t Say A Word’ and ‘Amen - The Last Straw’.

“In society today, there are more people than ever who are suffering from domestic violence and it is not just women. In the film, we want to dispel this idea that men can’t be abused by female partners - ‘The Last Straw’ story shows that it happens to men too and they should not be lambasted or mocked if they come forward,” she continued.

Miriam and the rest of the team behind the production are currently on the fundraising trail to help pay for the production. They are looking for €10,000 to help pay for the costs.

Any money left over will then go towards the

Actress Rebecca Kemp’s make up showing the signs of abuse.