2003 · 26m
Zoë is a single mother who lives with her four children in Dartford. She is poor and can't afford to buy food. One day her old flame drives by and asks her to go on a date with him. Scared that he doesn't want to go out with her, she lies and tells him that she is just babysitting the kids. This will be her first date in years.
Directed by Andrea Arnold
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Where to watch
Not currently available to stream, rent, or buy in the US.
CinemaSerf
This is quite a difficult short drama to watch without making judgements. Indeed, right from the start when "Zoë" (Natalie Press) drags her four kids round to a neighbour for a bit of a scrap, you wonder if maybe she's the best person to be looking after four young children. A quick tour of her kitchen demonstrates that she hasn't two pennies to rub together, but when she encounters her old friend "Dave" (Danny Dyer) who wants to meet for a drink and game of pool, she seems to find a fiver and decide that's her evening priority. The kids are left outside the pub whilst she has an half, then parked out of sight whilst she has a snog in his car. This is where the eponymous insect makes it's presence felt, there is some screaming, some chips and a drive. The question would have to be. If she lived next door would you empathise for her needing to be treated as a woman as well as a mother, or would you be onto social services to complain about neglect? "Zoë" clearly cares for her children, but at what point is it legitimate for her to care for herself too - even if that does mean they are very temporarily abandoned. The hand held camerawork gives this quite a potent degree of intimacy and it is quite a thought-provoker.
