Waving At Trains

2009, 9 minutes

Past & present collide as a man relives the tragic events

Storm clouds drift past an attic window as Douglas plays with his model railway. Locked away from his wife, he loses himself in memories – memories of another storm, a real railway and the tragedy of his mother’s death. The Past. The tail of a red box kite dances in the air. Eight year old Douglas picnics with his mother. Their idyllic afternoon is interrupted by the arrival of her new lover. The jealousy which Douglas harbours for him and the remorse for her death trigger a web of neuroses which plague him into adult life. The Present. Unable to come to terms with her loss, Douglas cocoons himself in the world of his railway, developing a bizarre re-enactment ritual. This is the only catharsis he knows; pain and punishment to exorcise his guilt. Trapped in an endless cycle as a model train circles a track, constantly trying to relive that last day, to change time and walk away from the hillside clutching his mother’s hand, yet always unable to save her.


Companies involved in this production


Connected mandy members:

Richard Lavery
Cassandra Macmahon
Art Director
Art Director