Where did the idea of the film come from?
There are a few ideas that I drew on when developing Peekaboo. I’m very interested in fear and its consequences; in panic and in how people react to extreme stress. Fear/panic often leads to situations that I see as pivotal moments, in which actions can never be undone.
Peekaboo is the story of a woman who loses her daughter in a car park and fears that her child has been abducted. Since becoming a parent, I’ve experienced the anxiety that goes along with the joys of having children. Ensuring little kids are safe means managing a constant imagined crisis and I think every parent has experienced the pure panic of losing sight of their child in an unfamiliar place.
I also wanted to explore our fear, as a society, of sexual predators. Though our kids coming into harm at the hands of such a person is statistically highly unlikely, this concern has overwhelmed more prosaic fears. Even as men assume a greater role in the care of their children, many men feel that we can’t engage with a stranger’s child without the possibility of raising suspicion.
How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
Very little. I wrote the script quite quickly over a weekend. And we shot the second draft. The film is pretty faithful to the script. I wish that were always the case.
Were there any challenges during production?
It was a three day shoot with kids on a moving train, and stunts - what could possibly go wrong? Actually it all went pretty smoothly. We were very well prepared, and the kids (Marli and Marisa Bedwell) were great. No children were harmed in the making of the movie!
With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
The most rewarding part of the whole thing is watching the finished film with an audience who gasp and jump in all the right places. I love feeling the tension rise in the room as it plays out. It means I’ve done my job and the film is working.
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