A few years ago, we worked on a film set where we met a child actor and his father. As the shoot continued, we noticed that the child was becoming reluctant to participate in some of the scenes, even bursting into tears at one point. His father however, remained undisturbed through all of this, even encouraging us to continue filming his son despite his apparent discomfort. 

Fortunately, our director and crew members stepped in often, making sure that the child was comfortable enough to continue. It became clear that the father had little regard for his son’s mental health, he was instead determined for him to complete the film by any means necessary. Through this unusual experience, we realised that it may not always be the dream of a child actor to pursue their profession, but rather the dream of their ambitious parents.

After witnessing the extreme lengths the father went through to convince his son to act, we came up with the idea of a parent who would go to similar lengths in order to fulfil a dream that was once their own. This tension we perceived on set between a controlling parent and a tortured, obedient child sparked our inspiration in creating a story that is universal in its exploration of the complex dynamics between a parent and their child.