Rebecca Withey: The devastating impact of hidden mental struggles in the deaf community inspired me to write my first film (BSL)
On March 10th 2025 the very first film I wrote, Where the Light Gets In, will be broadcast on television. Throughout March the film premieres at cinemas in London, Derby and Edinburgh too.
It’s a surreal moment for me, seeing words that I’ve written – that started off as daydreams – come to life on the big screen. It is even more poignant when I consider the tears, challenges and inspirations that encouraged me to write the script in the first place.
I have always written – whether it’s in the form of blogs, poems, songs, short stories or interviews. But my love for screenplay didn’t truly begin until I signed up to a course with Transition Stage, mentored by scriptwriter James Banks back in 2021.
Writing for screen appealed to me immensely and I found myself overwhelmed with ideas, plans and ambitions. My mentor would ask me questions in order to curate the sort of writer I am. What’s important to me, I would ponder. What messages do I want to share?
After completing the course and writing my first short drama ‘Breakdown’ about a Father and his estranged son, I realised the fascination I have for the human spirit, and in particular how we relate to others.
I love looking at the complexity of humans, our flaws and insecurities and noticing how they affect our behaviour. I’m also incredibly drawn to the idea of bringing to light issues that are usually left in the dark.
While I was honing my newly found skills in screenplay, I continued with my other freelance work in media and came across all kinds of people in the projects that I was booked for.
One particular experience undoubtedly shaped the way that I wrote Where The Light Gets In.
I was working on a film project and a young professional was booked to work with us. This person smiled broadly and met us all cheerfully, yet something felt very, very off to me.
As I approached them I somehow noticed that their hands were trembling and there was a hidden nervousness to their energy, masked by chatter and busyness.
As the project went on, the young professional confided in me that they were struggling terribly with anxiety. They didn’t know if they could continue with the job, and clearly stated that they didn’t want anyone else to know.
They begged me to help them through it. I stayed close to them throughout the shoot, offering support and encouragement where I could and they did really well to complete the job.
We kept in touch for a little while after, but naturally drifted apart. I was stunned, therefore, when the news came through that this person had later committed suicide due to mental health struggles.
I felt a whole range of emotions.
Guilt. Should I have checked on them more? Told others about their issues without their consent?
Sadness. How awful for their partner and young child to experience this loss.
Anguish. How much pain must they have been in to take their own life?!
When the news spread, so many people were in shock, uttering that they ‘never knew’ this person had been battling a hidden disorder.
It was also just after the pandemic that three people in the deaf community took their own lives, all in the space of one year. The same words were uttered by us all – ‘we never knew anything was wrong.’
Delving into conversations with friends, we shared how it’s so easy to just pretend you’re okay and how there’s so much shame connected to struggling with your mental health.
When I’m asked, ‘how are you’, the compulsion to automatically respond with ‘fine thanks’ is so strong, without giving a real moment to consider how I actually am.
From these realisations, the character of Samantha was born. In Where the Light Gets In, Samantha – portrayed by Katie Erich – is a hardworking single Mum who struggles with her mental health. She masks and hides how she is feeling, which has real consequences to those around her.
The other characters were crafted to evoke responses in Samantha. You will work out from watching the film who encourages her to open up, who inspires her to keep going, and who causes her to freeze and feel defensive.
The film title is also a hint towards the Japanese practice of Kintsugi – of repairing broken cracks with gold. Kintsugi teaches us that there is beauty in brokenness and in this film I wanted Samantha to be an example of how sometimes we need to be broken to be made whole.
In essence, when it comes to anxiety we may need to fall apart and allow the walls of pretence to crumble. We need to admit when we need help so that we can actually heal.
Where the Light Gets In is therefore my way of imploring others to please reach out if you’re struggling and no matter how dark it gets, I hope the light finds you.
Rebecca A Withey is the Assistant Editor for The Limping Chicken. She is also a script writer, BSL consultant and creative artist based in the Midlands. Rebecca is a Deaf, bilingual BSL user. Find out more at www.rawithey.com
Where the Light Gets in is released on TV on Monday 10th March, 7pm & 10pm on Together TV; also on Sky VoD/Go & NOW.
You can also view the film online at www.lumotv.co.uk
