Augustina directed by Isabel Anderton
00:18:05
screened: 21/04/2015
Kaylee is an awkward, introverted, schoolgirl who is trapped in her parent’s broken and abusive relationship. Her innocence is questioned and as a result Kaylee is given an educational doll-baby in an attempt to teach her the realities of sex and teenage pregnancy. The baby, Augustina, has sophisticated electronic software; she cries when sad, coos when happy and remembers everything that happens to her... Kaylee forms a powerful bond with the baby, finding love and comfort in something that wholly depends on her. In turn, as Kaylee pours her emotions into the small figure, Augustina develops slowly from a simulation into something altogether more real. Alone and eerily absorbed in this new relationship, Kaylee’s disillusion begins to help her understand what it means to love and be loved in the adult world, whilst struggling to carry a distressing family secret that could change everything... Tonally the film can be compared to Let The Right One In but with British grit at its heart. Emphasising the dark fairytale elements and a gothic backdrop of urban London, Augustina will explore the innate human desire to love and be loved.