In a beautiful fantasy world, filmed in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, a young girl is brutally abused by a trusted member of her community. As she grows into a woman, other men are equally willing to exploit her fragility.
Even though it is a story rooted in tragedy, it is also one of love, hope, courage, and inspiration.
One in four girls is sexually abused before the age of eighteen. For too many young women, Abbey's tale is all too familiar.
Abbey is a thirty-song musical written by Aria-nominated musician David McLean and arranged by Aria-nominated musician Yehlee Ng McLean.
It takes place in a magical fantasy world. A world deep in the forest, filled with natural beauty, wonder, and a people, generations away from the world we inhabit. A simpler time, perhaps, but with many of the issues we face in our modernity.
It is the story of a woman who, as a twelve-year-old child, was abused by the priest (The Beast) in her local congregation. Abbey viewed this as a betrayal by her church, her God, and her family, as she feels the latter delivered her to the Beast.
From that moment, Abbey’s life spirals out of control.
The story begins before these abuses, at a congregation where a choir, with Abbey as its lead, is singing; everyone is joyous, praising their creator. A beautiful, magical place.
The next time we see Abbey is with her tormentor (The Beast), immediately after her abuse at his hands. The Beast blames his lack of discipline on Abbey’s innocence and his creator's desertion. “Why do you taunt me with your peace?”
I must take a moment to inform the reader that there is nothing explicit in the story; no explicit language or explicit scenes. Only the characters' residual feelings reveal any hint of preceding actions.
The story is largely concerned with the real cost of indiscretion by those in positions of power for the victims of those indiscretions. It does not sit in judgement of the perpetrators or the victims, but simply tells a story. A story of betrayal, destruction, love, greed, hope and survival. A story that is lived by far too many girls and women.
Following the abuse, Abbey is unable to function and to conform. At sixteen, she drops out of school and abandons her tight-knit community.
Two years on, the now adult Abbey stands on a cliff, ready to enact her end. She is walked away from that idea by a young man, Jack.
Jack is a kind, cheerful, and handsome young man, and it is not long before Abbey and he are falling for each other.
Abbey is unsure of her ability to sustain love, or even trust it. Memories of her past haunt her at every step and constantly gnaw at the fibres of her attraction to Jack.
One day, while happily walking in the park with Jack, she spots The Beast sitting on a park bench with another young girl, both feeding bread to the birds. Abbey screams.
Her past comes rushing back, and it is too much for her to bear. She runs screaming from the park. Jack eventually finds her and calms her enough to bring her back to their home.
The unbridled terror that accompanies the memory of The Beast is ultimately much stronger than the bond between her and Jack, and Jack loses his battle to save Abbey, as she once again runs; this time, far from home.
Lost, tired, scared and alone, she is bewitched by another man (Magic Man). This man is cool, calm, and generous. His tone is smooth and reassuring. A swindler, drug dealer and pimp, he slides into Abbey’s life as if descended from a greased pole. It is now that he weaves his magic. Now that he casts his spell. His world is full of colour, energy, and, most importantly for Abbey, peace.
He coerces Abbey into sampling his Colours (drugs), and soon after, Abbey is woven tightly into his world. Unable to afford her habit, she pleads with the Magic Man to keep supplying her with Colours, but he is unwilling. In our story, drugs are only ever referred to as Colours. These Colours are simply absorbed, not injected, snorted or smoked. We are very keen not to glorify the actions or paraphernalia associated with drug taking.
In response to Abbey’s pleas, the Magic Man offers her work in his stable of Ladies, and she is introduced into the thriving world of prostitution and drugs and is once again exploited.
Surprisingly, she does find solace in the solidarity she feels with the other Ladies.
I really do not wish to give too much away from here on, but I will suggest that someone from her past may be looking for her and that the Magic Man’s allies may not be as tight as he thinks.
One of Australia’s most prolific music critics and writers wrote the following summary about the musical storyline:
As truly harrowing as the story of ABBEY becomes, unfolding across 30 songs, the production is so crisp, the playing and arrangements so clean and tasteful, the vocal harmonies superbly executed, especially those that counterpoint the lead lines in some of the songs, aurally ABBEY: Crack On The Street is quite the most extraordinary and fulfilling listening experience. It’s all there – a love story, a cautionary tale, an indictment of both the church and the illusion of drug culture, a Greek tragedy with the gods toying with their creations – us. Take the time to immerse yourself in all its surprising grandeur – you won’t be sorry.
Michael George Smith
The film combines beautiful imagery, spectacular movement and dance to make the challenging themes and music easier for the audience to digest. This is an original take on a story as old as humanity. It is designed to immerse the audience and leave a lasting impression.
Today, we are seeing the effects of the organised manipulation of young women by predators. It is a shameful indictment of our society that predators are free to pursue their agenda without ramifications. One day, perhaps, we will see the judicial system and society focus on the victims and not the protection of the perpetrators.
With one in four girls under the age of eighteen falling victim to sexual assault, our hope is that films like Abbey will raise awareness of the true human cost of these crimes.
Funding
Funding an independent film project is challenging. If you feel that you may like to support us in any way, please contact us at info@crackonthestreet.com or Crack on the Street Productions. PO Box 76, Lawson NSW 2783