Production Notes

PRODUCTION NOTES Gallagher Films Ltd Company No: NI652324 gallagherfilms.co.uk LOGLINE / SYNOPSIS Logline A boozy 44-year-old single mother becomes pregnant from a one-night-stand, much to the shame of her buttoned-up teen daughter. Synopsis A BUMP ALONG THE WAY is female-led, feel good, comedy drama set in Derry, Northern Ireland, about a middle-aged woman whose unexpected pregnancy after a one-night stand acts as the catalyst for her to finally take control of her life and become the role model her teenage daughter needs and craves. Long Synopsis Fun-loving PAMELA CASEY celebrates her 44th birthday by getting trashed and having unprotected sex in a van with 24-year-old BARRY, who she’s just met. She can’t even sleep off the next day’s mortifying hangover because her irritated daughter Allegra (15) drags her out of bed. Pamela nurses a sore head and the knowledge she’ll need tested for STDs. Ah well, her bawdy bestie SINEAD points out, Pamela’s infertile. Chlamydia won’t do her much harm. Allegra’s ashamed of a mother who works part-time in a bakery and can’t even drive, but Pamela hasn’t had it easy. She raised Allegra on her own after dad KIERAN walked out. He pats himself on the back for showing up occasionally and giving Allegra a bit of cash, but he bullies Pamela and refuses to pay alimony. Added to that, Pamela cared for her critical mother before she died. She and Allegra live in Granny Rose’s house. Her ghost remains in the outdated décor, but more potently in Pamela’s psyche. She still carries the weight of her mother’s disapproval, as well as Allegra’s. Weeks after her birthday, Pamela’s hit with a bombshell. Despite her age and “wonky womb”, she’s pregnant. The father, Barry, doesn’t want to know, but Pamela will have the baby. To Allegra, it’s the worst news ever. It turns out to be a social lifeline, though, when cool classmate RHIANNON wants to be Allegra’s friend. She’s gifted a social life as Pamela learns to let go of hers. Allegra’s stint as a cool kid ends when she gets wasted on her 16th birthday and throws herself at FINN, Rhiannon’s new boyfriend. She’s harbored a secret crush on him for years and with a belly full of cider, she confesses it to him—before vomiting on him and wetting her pants. Allegra’s the school laughing stock, and a photo of her in a state is a treat for bully SHAUNA. When teacher MR GIBSON confiscates a phone and sees the image, he informs Pamela. Sick at the thought of her daughter being bullied and crippled with guilt, Pamela blames herself. She let Allegra witness her being walked Gallagher Films Ltd Company No: NI652324 gallagherfilms.co.uk over by Kieran and Granny Rose. She reaches out to Allegra, but the kid’s too ashamed to open up. It’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. She’ll lead by example and be assertive for once. Pamela grits her teeth and confronts Barry and Kieran. They’ll pay their dues. She vows to be honest with her daughter too and tell her who the baby’s father is. Learning the dad is 20 years younger than Pamela, Allegra flips. Terrified of the sneers of the small town, she storms off and ditches school. She ignores her phone when a worried Pamela rings. Then, Pamela’s waters break, a month ahead of schedule. Sinead’s out of the country so Pamela’s big- hearted boss MICHAEL takes her to hospital, but neither of them want him sticking around for the birth. Pamela will have to go it alone. But when Sinead finally gets hold of Allegra, she rushes to be by her mother’s side. Witnessing the birth of her baby brother blows Allegra’s mind. She stands up to Shauna and is reunited with her mates who are eager to visit baby Alfie—named for beloved books Pamela read to Allegra as a child. In the end, Pamela is happy to be a respectable and responsible mum. One Allegra is proud of. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT I had recently moved to N Ireland from London with my baby in order to live closer to his Grandparents. When my baby turned one years old, I ventured out of the nest to meet Louise Gallagher. Our meeting was timely as Louise had just come on board as the producer for Northern Irish Screens New Talent Focus film ‘A Bump Along The Way’ written by Tess Mcgowan and they were looking for a director. When I read the script, I instantly felt a connection to the story as I could relate to Pamela the protagonist in so many ways. Like Pamela I am a single parent and having given birth to my baby in my forties, we are both geriatric mums (my tongue is in my cheek). As a female filmmaker I am driven to tell female stories and with such a captivating mother and daughter relationship at the heart of the story, I felt compelled to direct the film. A Bump Along The Way presented me with the opportunity to make the move into long for drama that I have been preparing for, so I was delighted when I got the job. A Bump Along The Way tells the story of fun-loving, 44-year-old single mum Pamela who becomes pregnant following a one night-stand. Pamela is good at letting her hair down, much to the shame of her buttoned-up teenage daughter Allegra. Gallagher Films Ltd Company No: NI652324 gallagherfilms.co.uk When Pamela announces her unplanned pregnancy to Allegra, mother and daughter are blown apart. As Pamela deals with the reality of becoming a mum for a second time, Allegra tries to navigate her teenage life and make sense of her family, friendships and romance with a mix of confidence, naivety and anxiety. The shock of Pamela’s pregnancy is the catalyst for mother and daughter to change. As both Pamela and Allegra suffer from a lack of self esteem, this is something they share, along with being bullied. In the film both characters have to find the courage to stand up for themselves and transform into fuller grown up versions of themselves. Ultimately it is through Pamela’s unplanned pregnancy and her decision to give birth again that Pamela is able to truly reflect, take responsibility and transform. And it is through the impending arrival of her new baby brother that Allegra is able to reach a better understanding of herself and find a new found respect for her mother. I was charmed by the humour in the script and excited by the opportunity to direct funny but emotive performances. However it was really important to me that the comedy elements of the film sing out from a meaningful place and that the performances be relatable and never overplayed. With the film set in Derry it was important that our characters felt as authentic as possible. I grew up in the West Highlands of Scotland but my Ma and Pa are N Irish so I understand the craic. We really could not have found a more bona fide Derry woman to play Pamela than Bronagh Gallagher. Born and raised in Derry, Bronagh’s roots in the place give her character an authenticity that would be hard to match. I feel lucky to have worked with Bronagh on my first feature film. With her wealth of experience, and passion for the project she brought sincerity and depth to her role and delivered a believable nuanced performance rich in understatement. Whilst her natural playful nature and Derry cheek brought the injection of comedy necessary to play Pamela. I first saw Lola Pettigrew in ‘Come Home’ and I was really impressed, she was an obvious choice to play Allegra. Playing a part younger than her actual age, Lola was able to navigate the many coloured emotional states of the neurotic teen Allegra, traversing Allegra’s teenage world at school and her life at home with her mum. Crucial to the telling of this story, Bronagh and Lola dug deep as a performers and delivered powerful emotive performances which made for believable heart felt scenes between mother and daughter. Gallagher Films Ltd Company No: NI652324 gallagherfilms.co.uk Mary Moulds was an obvious choice to play Sinead, she is all heart and has one of those smiles that lights up the room. From the moment Bronagh and Mary met the banter and laughs kept coming, the natural chemistry between them meant for a believable lifelong friendship on screen. I feel lucky to have had such a great cast to work with on my first feature film, they were all a real pleasure to work with and their passion and energy for the project payed off on screen. With the writer, producer, key cast and crew all coming from or based in Derry the production really did feel like a family affair. There was loads of local support for the production and positive energy which made filming in Derry a joy. On a low budget feature such as this there were many obstacles and some dead ends but the ‘Derry Fairies’ as Louise the producer calls them would pop up every now and again to sprinkle their fairy dust over the production and things would magically fall into place. Mark McCauley our DOP is also a Derry man and his knowledge of the town was a real bonus.

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