My Work

 

Living in the south east of England in the nineteen-nineties, he has it all. A stable family life and a comfortable school life, combined with a healthy dose of kindness and innocence, with protectors keeping all worries from the real world at bay. As he starts to see changes in behaviour towards him, one foundation after another is challenged, leading to unrest through the house and a growing tension with his father that threatens to overspill beyond the point of no return.

 

Growing Pains tells Alexander’s coming-of-age story as he tries to strike a balance between being the caring boy his mother has nurtured and finding favour with a father stuck in a past that revolves around toxic masculinity and violence.

 

Trying his best to navigate his father’s temper, his mother’s conditional affection, and his own sense of identity in a world that seems increasingly hostile. School, friendships, and football become key battlegrounds in his attempt to find a place where he truly belongs.