Behind Closed Doors

‘Behind Closed Doors’ is based on the violence that director Kaitlyn Boxall's mother suffered two decades ago.

When Kaitlyn was just three weeks old, her mother was forced to flee to a women’s refuge in Croydon to escape her abusive partner.

“The beating started when she was pregnant. My mum always remembers how he said to her, ‘I will not be happy until you and the baby in your stomach, are in a coffin.’

“She always took full force of each beating, to protect her pregnancy bump,”’ Kaitlyn recalled.

Now, the 20-year-old has turned these harrowing memories into a film, in the hopes of raising awareness in others.

The 32-minute movie was shot last Summer around Greenwich, near where she studies film at Ravensbourne University.

Filming of Behind Closed Doors

Made in collaboration with Women’s Aid, the plot adds Covid-19 into the mix, highlighting how domestic abuse amplified recently.

Last week, campaigners at Refuge, a charity specialising in violence against women and children, described the problem as an “epidemic beneath the pandemic.”

The BBC reported that between April 2020 and February 2021, the charity’s National Domestic Abuse recorded over 60% more contacts than at the start of 2020.

The main character in Kaitlyn’s film, Lisa Crawford, loses access to services in the pandemic and is referred to a councillor.

Kaitlyn hopes other women will be able to speak out after watching Behind Close Doors.

“So many victims of domestic abuse have come forward because of the film. These women are from all over the world – the Philippines, India and North America, where the laws on domestic abuse are less tough. I feel very strongly that this film could save lives.”

Behind Closed Doors is available from streaming platforms. A sequel is planned to come out in May 2021.