Stephen

Artist Melanie Manchot’s debut feature is a visually striking film-within-a-film, exploring mental health and addiction.

Multi-media artist Melanie Manchot works with an addiction recovery group in Liverpool who take part in this semi-fictional, film-within-a-film, exploring dependency and mental health from multiple perspectives. The story centres around Stephen, a character recovering from gambling and alcohol addictions. He auditions for the role of Thomas Goudie, a bank employee who embezzled £170,000 to pay gambling debts, and whose arrest became the subject of the first ever police reconstruction filmed by Mitchell and Kenyon in 1901 (available to watch for free on BFI Player).

Machot presents a visually striking reminder of how dextrous the documentary form can be, and with the lines between reality and fiction blurred, emotionally charged scenes reveal inner truths about both the characters and those playing them.