Gigi
A psychological-thriller short film by Benjamin Willis-Teff
Inspired by the short story The Golden Girl, written by Carol Willis
The Kickstarter
Our aim is to raise £8,000 to complete our budget for this film. Check out the kickstarter through the link below.
Logline
After a brutal assault leaves her with no memory and nowhere to go, a friendless woman relies on an attentive doctor with a troubling connection to her past.
Premise
Ginny Golden, now in her late twenties living in West Sussex, has alienated everyone through self-destructive behavior. Most recently Bernie, her last remaining friend. After a brutal attack leaves her with amnesia, Ginny wakes in hospital. She is attended by Dr. Ash Zhou, a secondary school acquaintance who seems genuinely concerned for her recovery. Homeless, friendless, and with only fragmented memories of that night, she soon learns Bernie has been murdered. Isolated and struggling with head trauma, Ginny has no one else. When the hospital discharges her, Ash makes an unexpected offer to stay at his flat until she is fully recovered.
Director’s Statement
“In desperation comes blind trust”—This is the essence of this story for me. When I first read my mother’s story, I felt a connection with the main character in a way that goes far deeper than the plot.
We’ve all been in low points in our lives. To me, this story touches on cyclical behavior and the struggle of the internal life. How we as uniquely flawed individuals can wind up in such a situation where we are so desperate for a connection we will do anything not to be alone.
I am drawn to stories that showcase this behavior because I believe it’s only human to repeat mistakes and to go against our gut feelings. For me, this story is more than a cautionary tale. Gigi holds up a mirror and shows us a part of ourselves that once trusted the wrong person.”
- Benjamin Willis-Teff
Author’s Statement
"As a medical doctor, I’ve seen how trauma, addiction, and marginalization intertwine—and how easily people can fall through the cracks. The Golden Girl was born from that intersection: a young woman’s descent from promise to peril, haunted by past betrayals and victim of her own vulnerability.”
- Carol Willis