EXCLUSIVE: Veteran Canadian actor and writer Jackie Torrens has begun production in Nova Scotia on her narrative directorial debut, Baby.
The film’s official synopsis reads: Following the untimely death of her parents, Baby Bagnell struggles to find her place in the world–that is, aside from the local roller rink, hell on wheels.
Baby is a frequent visitor to a quiet bucolic graveyard where her parents rest, while unrequitedly hungry for love and guidance. Finding herself in a potentially disastrous relationship with an older man, the teenage Baby dreams of finding her way out of her circumstances by any means necessary. After all, living with a drunk step-mom, being bullied at school, and failing all her classes isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.
Baby is produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada, with the assistance of the Government of Nova Scotia Film Incentive Fund, the Screen Nova Scotia Content Creator Fund, and the Canadian Film Tax Credit Program.
The cast features Lauren Hammersley (Virgin River, Sullivan’s Crossing), Allistar MacDonald (Monica’s News), Andrew Shaver (Sharp Corner), Billy MacLellan (Diggstown), and first-timer Lucy Spence Pinks as Baby Bagnell.
“The experience of being groomed by adult men is a common occurrence in the lives of teenage girls; it’s just one that’s not often talked about or seen from the vantage point of the adolescent themselves,” Torrens said in a statement.
“There are a lot of Baby’s out there. I wanted to showcase this experience and examine the circumstances that make a young person vulnerable to these kinds of situations. Ultimately, Baby is a story about grief, the will to keep going, and resilience on roller skates.”
Torrens is a writer, actor, and documentary filmmaker. They and producer Jessica Brown own and operate Peep Media, a female and non-binary owned production company. Their films for CBC, the Documentary channel, and Bravefactual include Edge of East, My Week on Welfare, Small Town Show Biz and Bernie Langille Wants to Know Who Killed Bernie Langille. Torrens is also a regular contributor and guest host on CBC Radio.