It’s over three decades since Sir Daniel Day-Lewis starred as a disabled young man in ‘My Left Foot’. And now comes ‘The Lullaby’, a proof of concept short film. It is a live action drama with a lyrical, stylised heartbeat.
The Story
London, 1997.
We enter the world of THE LULLABY when KAMANI, a single mother, using puppet theatre, tells seven year old NEELAM about the school she has chosen for her. But, a letter from the local authority arrives saying none of the primary schools are willing to admit Neelam.
Undeterred, Kamani contacts the 'Inclusion Now' office, an organisation to help her challenge the schools' refusal. She also hopes to return to work as her parents have promised to look after Neelum. But then her parents arrive, unannounced, with news - they have decided to return back to India.
As the whirlwind settles around her, we find Kamani in a moment of quiet introspection as she soaks in a bath. We see her inner world come alive as she sings a lullaby of hope, promising to stand by her daughter, no matter what the obstacles.