Snapping Back

Serena, a new mum on the verge of a nervous breakdown wrapped in a bamboo robe, arrives at an ultra-exclusive Women’s Wellness Clinic — a sanctuary for the rich, the raw, and the ridiculously over-treated. Armed with a long list of red light rituals, placenta smoothies, and gentle parenting mantras, she seeks validation from the serene (and slightly terrifying) founder, Hugo O’Connell.

But when Serena reveals the real reason she’s there — a brutally honest concern about what childbirth has done to her body — the glossy façade of wellness culture starts to wobble. What follows is a sharp, satirical unraveling of the pressure to “bounce back,” served with collagen harmonics, pelvic steamings, and one deeply disturbing metaphor about kebabs.

Snapping Back is a darkly funny, unflinchingly honest look at motherhood, perfection, and the wellness industry’s most expensive illusion: control.

  • Niamh Gormley
    Writer
    Bridget in Manhattan, Dippers
  • Brian Gormley
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Short Script
  • Number of Pages:
    11
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Writer Biography - Niamh Gormley, Brian Gormley

Niamh Gormley is an award-winning screenwriter and Masters graduate. She is an alumna of the Sundance Collab ‘From Outline to Pilot’ programme and a finalist or winner in multiple international competitions. Her original period TV drama pilot Bridget in Manhattan won Best TV Pilot at the Sugar Loaf Film Festival, Best Historical Screenplay,Best LGBTQ Script, and was a finalist at the London International Screenwriting Competition, Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival New York, and the Bowery Film Festival in Manhattan. Her murder mystery series Dippers and family drama Boa Island have also received industry interest and accolades.

Niamh’s work is emotionally resonant, visually rich, and thematically bold — often exploring the absurdity, fragility, and strength of the female experience. She brings a voice that blends humour, surrealism, and depth.

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Writer Statement

With Snapping Back, I want to explore the bliss and mental absurdity of new motherhood — a time that is both euphoric and unhinged. This short film shines a light on the ludicrous expectations society places on mothers and how the wellness industry preys on their vulnerability. Through surreal humour and tender compassion, Snapping Back is a proof-of-concept that invites audiences into Serena’s fragile inner world, offering a bold, honest take on maternal identity in a world obsessed with perfection.