GO HOME

Description

Go Home is a drama about a Polish single-mother subject to abuse from a bunch of xenophobic local youths. It was inspired by the series of hate crimes against Poles in the wake of Britain's exit from the EU. Alicja lives in Romford with her two daughters, Agata and Kasia. She struggles to balance the demands of her two daughters with the need to make a living running her Polish corner shop. In the aftermath of the EU referendum, Alicja’s shop comes under fire from the youths. Spurred on by their ringleader Leanne, they vandalise the shop with graffiti, and kick a homeless man’s dog to death on the doorstep. Tensions rise as racist slurs and mocking orders to "go home" leave Alicja feeling a stranger in the community she’s lived in for over a decade. Worn down by all the abuse, Alicja’s eldest daughter expresses regret at her Polish ties in a confrontation with her mother. A desperate Alicja decides she must act to defend both her pride in her heritage and her right to call Romford home.

Biblical Connection

2 Kings 2:22-23 Foreign and unwelcome, Elisha arrives at Bethel and is taunted by a bunch of youths. Their insult (“Go up you baldhead”) is less throwaway than it first appears. According to Biblical scholarship, baldness was considered a particular blemish amongst the Israelites, giving the insult a racist bent. The challenge to “go up” is similarly pointed when placed in its context in the Book of Kings, occurring after Elijah’s risen to God and left Elisha the mantle. It ridicules Elisha’s claim to succeed Elijah’s as God’s designated representative to the people of Israel. This core theme of a stranger facing prejudice due to their perceived “foreignness” resonates in Britain today. After Britain voted to leave the EU, anti-immigrant hate crimes spiked by 57%. Our film retells the passage from Kings in a modern British setting, using an all female cast to bring the story to life. Elisha becomes Alicja, Bethel is swapped for Romford, and the taunt to “go up” becomes a taunt to “go home”. But our proposed film stays true to the core of the Biblical passage, focusing on the value of inclusiveness.