UK Premiere

Short Synopsis:

A film about two children,a boy and a girl, who are abducted separately by two men and then forced to live as a dysfunctional family.

Review:

Gardens of the Night, is a haunting, gritty and topical story which delves into the world of child abduction and where it often leads. Based on kids, counselors, cops and pimps he met during two solid years of research, (Writer/Director) Damian Harris has crafted a glimpse into a horrific world that exists in the midst of our own.

We meet Leslie (Gillian Jacobs) as a teenager, signing herself into a youth shelter and being questioned about her past. Soon, we are transported to it. Aged 8, she’s abducted and taken to a strange home under false pretenses. It's only a matter of time before she realises her disturbed situation.

Scared, confused, angry, and convinced that her family no longer want her, her horrific future faces her head-first. Her only solace in this time is another abducted child whom she befriends; they create a comfort-zone in which they can feel safe.

Now, 17 years old with the attitude that ‘friends are just people that haven't f**ked you over yet’, their sense of morality skews as they do their best to survive. Life on the cold heartless streets is tough, with theft & prostitution being the norm.

Slowly becoming a part of the very monster that ruined their chilhood, they must overcome their own devils and re-assess their lives if they are to be able to live with themselves. In the end, it's a melancholic human tale of endurance, friendship and moral choices.

RS