A bittersweet British comedy-drama

AboutThe Film

A road trip. A family birthday. A past they can't outrun.

The story

Logline

A stepdaughter, a stepmother and an ageing grandfather squeeze into a tiny car for a family birthday trip and discover that some family baggage is harder to leave behind than others.

Synopsis

When a stepdaughter and stepmother agree to take an ageing grandfather to the birthday celebration of his son, who is also the stepdaughter's father and the stepmother's husband, a seemingly ordinary road trip becomes anything but. In the close confines of the car, old resentments resurface, alliances shift and the unexpected becomes impossible to ignore.

Funny, tender and uncomfortable, Not Expecting This Trip looks at what happens when family members have no choice but to face one another, and themselves.

A winding countryside road in warm evening light

Three people. One very small car.

The Stepdaughter

Finding her own way forward while the past continues to travel with her.

The Stepmother

Opinionated, complex and perhaps not quite who the stepdaughter believes she is.

Grandpa

An ageing man at the centre of the journey, with a perspective entirely his own.

At its heart

A story about divorce, stepfamilies, changing relationships, grief and the surprising ways people find connection.

Currently in development. This page is an introduction to the project, not a final synopsis or announcement of completed production.

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