Garage

A severely depressed young man’s suicide plan is abruptly disrupted by his sister, forcing a raw confrontation neither of them is prepared for. A short film to raise awareness about suicide and mental health.

  • Patricia Hetherington
    Writer
    A Winter Barbecue, Hunting Rabbits, WhosApp
  • Dympna Jardine
    Director
    Wool, She Wanders, Tip
  • Patricia Hetherington
    Producer
    Drone, Pearls, Copper
  • Sam Coggin
    Key Cast
    "Joe"
  • Isabelle Clare
    Key Cast
    "Grace"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Social Awareness
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.5:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Borderlines Film Festival
    Herefordshire, Shropshire, Malvern
    United Kingdom
    March 8, 2026
    Open Screen: Special Mention
  • Love & Hope International Film Festival
    Barcelona
    Spain
    October 14, 2026
Director Biography - Dympna Jardine

Dympna is a writer and director known for Wool, an award-winning short film which takes on the issue of coercive control - a “masterpiece in silent storytelling” [Romford FF], highlighting how the wife has no voice. Screened at 22 film festivals worldwide including BAFTA-qualifying Norwich FF 2022, Wool won 9 awards including Best Directing at Topaz FF (Dallas 2022) and Best Short Film, Chandler IFF (Arizona 2023). Awarded a First in BA Screenwriting & Film Production, Worcester (2019), Dympna’s other shorts include She Wanders and Tip.

Dympna wrote, directed and produced pilot episodes of eco-friendly comedy Off Grid for radio and TV (2014-15). She directed teen comedy Paper Lips, screened at Hay-on-Wye Festival of British Cinema 2010.

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Director Statement

Just weeks before I read Patricia’s poignant script for Garage, I’d met a young man on a windswept coastal path walking to raise funds for a mental health awareness charity. He was walking some 600 miles from his home in South East England to his cousin’s in the West of Ireland as a tribute to his cousin who’d taken his life totally unexpectedly some months before. No one knew what his cousin was going through.

It’s a common sentiment among those who have lost loved ones to suicide that they “didn’t know” or “didn’t see any signs’. In Garage, the sister being oblivious to her brother’s suicide plan highlights just how easy it can be to miss the signs.

On screen, I wanted to capture the normality, the simplicity and matter-of-factness; how we can be so close to making a difference and not know. It really can take the smallest of gestures to save a life.

I also had in mind the Australian 'R U OK' mental health campaign. How can we be on the lookout for who needs support? How can we encourage young men to ask for support?

Joe in Garage doesn’t know how to ask for help with what he’s dealing with. It’s really touching when he is finally heard. I thought it important that the siblings get to simply ‘be’ with each other and face the world ahead together.