CRUSH

Gillian and Alex are best friends forever. But how long does that last when Jack enters the picture? When does ‘care’ become control? Gillian (Victoria O’Rourke) is sixteen, and has a crush on her friend’s nineteen year-old brother, Jack (Callum Couston). As they begin a relationship, Jack uses his age to set down the rules of a “real relationship”. Gillian is kept on a shorter and shorter leash, always being told it’s for her own good; then comes the control of where she goes, who she sees and what she wears. All the time, Jack is using more overt methods to keep and increase his control; and always looking for a move to the bedroom – “if you loved me” – “unless you want me to leave you” – Gillian has neither the confidence nor the experience to deal with it, and just as she had a crush on Jack, his hold on her turns into a crushing one. Directed and produced by David Goodall, Crush is a study of abuse and control in teenage relationships; it is a powerful and disturbing story of one girl’s journey to a place of despair and helplessness.