'Wildflower': Script reading by Ruth Hayes
"Faidh studies the neatly folded clothes in her suitcase for a moment or two. Then closes it, abandoning the thought of unpacking. She takes the teddy bear off the pillow and throws it to the floor."
Following the death of her mother, 11-year-old Fiadh moves from Dublin to the Connemara countryside to live with her aunt and uncle. Struggling with life in her new family, she is convinced that running away would be the best solution to her problems. Until she realises she is there to stay and must cope with her emotions.
Ruth Hayes reads my short screenplay Wildflower.
Wildflower is a personal drama about family love and the way in which families can reshape and grow. It's a story about the resilience of the human spirit in the face of loss and grief.
The story follows Fiadh, who has been sent to live with her uncle’s family after her mother’s death. Starting with her arrival and following her over the course of her first weekend, we are brought into the family’s domestic world with its daily chores and routines. While the family welcome her into their home with open arms, Fiadh is withdrawn and finds it difficult to cope with her emotions and adapt to her new environment.
Although Wildflower touches on childhood tragedy, it is not simply about a girl who loses her mother and goes to live with relatives. It is not about death. It is about the opposite, life. The story is infused with quiet moments of observation, gentle tensions within family life, and simple acts of kindness. It contrasts the darker side of childhood innocence with the simple joys of being a child.
