Jonny Dugan’s short film G.S.W (Gun Shot Wound) is story about the most horrific news a parent could receive. Added to this ongoing trauma is a moral choice of doing a job or becoming a judge and jury.
The Black and Paper interview with director Jonny Dugan.
Talk about timing after Bondi, your short film is suddenly topical. How did you react to the horrific headlines?
It was shock and sadness; it made me think about why people do what they do and how they could possibly have any justification for their actions. I just felt sad and keep feeling sad whenever I see another funeral on TV. The whole situation is just horrific, especially for those who have lost loved ones. The entire global community shouldn’t have to worry about their safety when attending worship, regardless of who they worship.
And at the same time, there was another episode of gun violence in the USA at Brown University, I just don’t know when it’s going to end. Perhaps it never will, which is a whole new layer of sadness.
Director Jonny Dugan
You kept tension focused in the ambulance. Describe that challenge.
It was challenging to work in such a small space, but it was also a strength. There are only so many places to put a camera when you’re in there with three actors, one being six foot three on a stretcher, taking up all the space. But it helped with the sense of claustrophobia, of things happening all around you and being in the thick of what’s going on. We couldn’t move the camera on tripods and big setups, so we had to use that to inform the handheld, documentary style of the film. The big challenge was only having the ambulance for one day, so we had to get through the entire film. Which we did, thanks to our extraordinary actors and camera team.
There are many layers of morality in GSW, revenge, taking the law in one’s own hand, judge and jury. Did you, as a writer, feel you were pushing the character to an unsympathetic position?
I decided to take you on the journey. Anyone who is a parent will tell you that they wouldn’t think twice if anyone hurt their child. Many people who have seen the film say they’d do exactly the same, yet it doesn’t turn out to be the best course of action. I was trying to create conflicting emotions; sometimes you’re on her side, but when events overtake her, then you’re feeling the gut punch with her too. The layers are between the two characters as well. Jo has an arc just as much as Beth, starting unsure and nervous but finishing up empowered in her choices, yet Beth starts off in control, and loses it with horrendous consequences. I think we fit a lot into a short space of time.
G.S.W screened at the 2025 London HollyShorts Film Festival in the Official Selection.