Too Rough, directed by Sean Lionadh, is a short film centred around Nick (Ruaridh Mollica) and Charlie (Joshua Griffin), who, after a drunken night out, wake up in Nick’s bed. Paralysed by the fear that his homophobic and dysfunctional family will discover his sexuality, Nick plots a way of sneaking Charlie out of the house unnoticed. The film is a compact, intricately woven story which renders with strikingly acute observation and tender attention to detail the fragile distinction between our private and public lives. I had the pleasure of hearing Ruaridh’s thoughts on the film, following its selection as best short film of 2022 for Bafta Scotland.
Eitan Orenstein: Could you talk a bit about Nick as a character?
Ruaridh Mollica: Too Rough was kind of like my first leading role, so I didn’t know so much about character prep or anything. I just find it easiest to uncover the ‘truth’ about Nick and his life by going through the script, and by talking to Sean [the director]. He’s a young, queer man who’s scared to love and to be loved. For me, in the script, you can just feel that he’s a kind, beautiful soul who has simply suffered growing up in a difficult home. And I wanted to show that feeling of being stuck between family, pressure, judgement, fear on one side, and truth, freedom, trust and happiness on the other. And how hard it can be to face that.
EO: There are lots of shots showing specific details in the film that might otherwise have gone unnoticed but were so relevant to the film’s storyline. Such as when Nick recoils from Charlie’s touches. Were these moments scripted?
RM: I’d say a lot of them weren’t scripted, but I think Sean really knew exactly what he wanted. He’d be watching on his monitor, so he’d come into a moment and say “try this,” or “do that.” These little moments happened as they felt right. For that little shot, I do remember Sean actively coming up to me and saying “why don’t you recoil from that,” like the physical contact is too much, now that Nick has to confront the stress and anger of his family. A lot of those moments were Andrew, our DOP cameraman, or Sean picking them up. I personally love the one with the burnt smiley faces coming out of the oven.
EO: Was there a lot of discussion between the actors and directors, and camera crew about shots, camera angles, aesthetics as the filming process unfolded?
RM: Sean wanted a handheld, real, close, gritty feeling. So we ran with that. He actually had a bit of an obsession with princess Diana at that time. So if you look at the way I hold me head, kind of looking down but looking out, which I did when I was watching my parents talk to the councillor, for example, it was a little bit Diana-inspired. Like Sean would kind of say “do the princess Diana look.” Actually, in the back corner of the kitchen in the film, you can see a Princess Diana memorial tin.
EO: The film unfolds around the changing relationship between Nick and Josh in Nick’s bedroom, as they are forced to come to rely on each other. What is it that changes the way they act with each other?
RM: It’s beautiful how their relationship grows. I think it starts off with Charlie not understanding the gravity of the situation in Nick’s house. Charlie doesn’t see how much Nick needs him, to the point where he can’t risk the worlds merging as that would involve either losing Charlie once he sees what his home life is like, and then potentially never getting to see Charlie again because his parents find out that he’s gay. So for Nick, there’s so much to lose on both sides. And as the film progresses, I think Charlie comes to realise how much Nick needs love and support, and how he doesn’t feel like he’s entitled love, as he’s ashamed. Charlie’s ability to give Nick this unconditional love makes Nick stronger, as it’s the first time anyone has ever really done that. Sean had a great quote when he went up to collect an award: “The whole purpose of too rough is that no one is too rough to be loved.” And I think that sums up Nick and Charlie’s situation.
EO: Do you think there’s a message this film delivers about community and togetherness in queer relationships?
RM: Absolutely. Especially in families where both parents are against your sexuality or your queerness, and you don’t have people in your home who can understand or support you or see you for who you actually are, then it can be soul-crushing. And it can force you to bury things and hide things, which can be awful for your mental health. Just being able to have a community where people understand and respect each other without any judgement. Personal freedom is so important if you’re in an environment where you don’t have that. It’s like being a bird with its wings clipped.
EO: Lastly, is there a message you yourself hope this film conveys to anyone who watches it, particularly in the queer community?
RM: That no one is too rough to be loved. I think that is the most important message of the film. And it’s that everyone is entitled to love. And everyone is entitled to respect, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender. As humans, that is what we are entitled to. I think it’s a message of self-acceptance. When I shot Too Rough, I was queer. And that film, as the message should convey, gave me the confidence and strength to embrace myself. And the fact that it did that for me, I hope, means that it does that for everyone else.
Image Credit: “LGBT” by Prachatai is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.