‘Absolutely empowering’ Meet the women exploring trauma through film in Ireland

"Sometimes, words are not enough."

Inspired by the experiences of real women, The Wedding tells the story of one woman's struggle following a traumatic event - one that leaves her voiceless, isolated, and entirely vulnerable. The film aims to shine a light on certain experiences that can often remain unknowable, unless you have experienced them yourself. The only problem is that it hasn't been made yet. Co-producers and actors Fiona Stout and Emma Dargan-Reid have been crowdsourcing the project for the past few months. They have to raise €8,000 if they want to bring the film to life - and vocalise certain issues that often remain unsaid. Fiona, who also wrote the short film, says that she based the project off the very real experiences shared by herself and her female friends. "Especially with the recent tragic passing of Caroline Flack, it is clear that we as a society need to do more to be inclusive, mindful, and accepting," she tells Her.  "Mental health is an issue that affects everyone, some more than others, and I wanted to write, for my friends and for myself, a story that let the audience in on how it feels when you dissociate, when you can’t quite reach the people you love. "The work that Emma and I hope to make is rooted in the ethos of giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves, and this is the first of many stories we hope to tell." Fiona Stout The Wedding touches on obstacles that many women are well versed in including eating disorders, isolation, PTSD, and depression. The short film focuses on a single character, Lauren, but its subject matter remains relevant to countless people across the country, and the world. It's for this reason that Fiona and Emma wanted to create a story for women, by women. They are still in the process of finalising their crew, but they wanted to include people of all sexualities, genders, and races in the project. "Feminism was created to promote equality as we all know, yet often times I think there’s a pressure to overcompensate," says Fiona. "Because women have been undervalued for so long, sometimes it feels like there’s a pressure to promote them over men, when really it’s all about inclusivity, about giving a fair chance to everyone. "In this way, our crew will be made up of people that believe in the important story we want to tell, regardless of sexuality, gender, race, or any other identifying factors. And so far, we do have a good few women aboard." Emma Dargan-Reid Fiona says that the concept of The Wedding is rooted in the ethos of giving a voice to the voiceless, but also to pay attention to the things that we often don't even allow ourselves to think about. "Sometimes words are not enough. Sometimes, a film can make us feel exactly as a character does, safely," she says. "Trauma is one of the most misunderstood experiences in society. Our legal systems, our medical systems, and our social systems have a long way to go. "There is always a risk of perpetuating the trauma (...) of re-traumatizing by bringing up the same dark things. But by conscientiously engaging with the things you’ve feared and struggled with in your past, there is an avenue to move through it to the other side. It is absolutely empowering, first internally but then hopefully externally too." Fiona hopes that once the film gets made, people will watch it and engage with it, to give themselves a better understanding of trauma, dissociation, and PTSD. "No one wants to feel alone," she says. "Everyone wants to be understood. "With The Wedding, we hope to shine a little light on this darkness that so many of us go through, feeling alone when we don’t need to be." You can check out The Wedding's GoFundMe page here.  Feature image and poster by Aidan Lynch.