Are any parts of the story autobiographical?

 

Yes, this film is entirely based on my own experiences with abusive relationships, sexual assault and rape. When I was 15 years old, I got into a relationship with a guy in my school who emotionally, physically and sexually abused me. He was incredibly manipulative, and his abuse showed itself so gradually that it became hard to understand what was really going on, or how to leave. He was obsessive and subtly reckless.

 

After 2 years and 2 months of this hell, I finally managed to leave him with the help of my friends and family. It was my fourth attempt to leave, and it was terrifying. I thought he would kill himself or hurt me. He would send pictures of himself cutting himself, telling me he would end it all if I left him, but in the end, he never did. He moved on to the next victim that he cheated on me with. I reported him to the police 2-3 months later. 

 

OXYGEN is an abstract adaptation of what happened to me, and since then, I’ve grown passionate about doing everything I can to help survivors feel seen, helped and heard. 

 

1 in 4 young women in the UK has been raped by their partner. On average, it takes a woman 7 attempts to leave an abusive relationship. Violence against women has been declared a national emergency. (Refuge 2024).

 

This isn’t just my story—it reflects the experiences of countless survivors. It’s terrifyingly common, yet so little is being done to stop it. I don’t think adults realise how early this kind of violence starts. I know many women who went through similar things between the ages of 13 and 17.

 

What was the writing process like?

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It was a rollercoaster of emotions. I’ve been to therapy to process my experiences, but writing this was still incredibly emotional, bringing moments of grief and even fever-like symptoms. I’m also an extreme perfectionist, and I drove myself mad changing small details back and forth.

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Before I even started writing, I did a lot of research and preparation. From the very beginning, I knew I wanted to use drowning as a central metaphor. Since I love writing and poetry, I wrote a poem about my experience from the point of view of young Kaya, drowning in the middle of an ocean. That poem became the foundation for this script.

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Did the script change much from development to production?

 

Yes, OXYGEN used to be 26 pages long, but got edited down to 14 pages. It was originally going to follow the protagonist, Kaya, in her fight against her obsessive ex-boyfriend and his abuse, and it is personally my absolute favourite version of this story. 

 

In the end, I had to create an abstract adaptation of this story due to financial limitations, which is only just above 5 pages. 

 

How does this short fit into your larger career or storytelling goals?

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I originally wrote OXYGEN as a longer, narrative-driven short film, but I wasn’t able to fund it at the time. This abstract version is a stepping stone toward that vision. It aligns with my broader career goals, as I still aspire to bring the full, non-abstract version to life in the future.

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I believe it’s urgently needed. We don’t have nearly enough accurate, unfiltered representations of women’s experiences in media. So often, these stories are either glorified, censored, or romanticised—but I want to show the reality of what we go through. I’m not interested in sugar-coating it or making it feel “desirable” or “hot,” because there’s nothing desirable about drowning in abuse.

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We need more female directors in the industry, so we can finally have fair and honest representation.