The 12 Labours of Gryff It's My Shout: Short Films from Wales

You love this book, don't you?

Once in a while, a boy comes along -

a boy so strong, even the gods are jealous.

You all right?

Who cares? Come on. Let's just go.

They decide to test him,

one impossible labour after the other,

in the hope he'll fail.

His first task is to defeat the Nemean lion.

CAT MEOWS

-Morning, Mum.

-Morning.

Pass me water, please?

Thank you.

You get milk?

Er, yeah. Well...no.

Complicated.

Should make a list.

-Sorry.

-Help you remember.

INTERCOM BUZZES

I'll get rid of them.

'How is my favourite patient doing?'

Oh...

Great drying day out there, Gryff.

How are we doing?

Eh?

Be an angel and go fetch something for me, would you?

Oh, anything.

His second labour is to cut down the Lernean hydra.

Here we go.

All right? OK.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Good work on the bramble, Gryff.

Nice one.

Bye.

His third labour is to catch the Ceryneian hind.

DRAMATIC MUSIC SWELLS

Nesta! Nesta!

Stop!

What's the matter, Gryff? What's wrong?

-You won't tell on me, will you?

-Tell what on you?

-About the garden.

-Oh, Gryff!

You're doing amazing, amazing.

Next, he must trap the wild boar of Erymanthos in a block of ice.

Then clean the Augean stables.

MUSIC TAILS OFF

INTERCOM BUZZES

-You're too young.

-You always think I'm older.

His sixth labour is to slay the Stymphalian birds.

I am so cold. Is that my jacket?

-Selfie Queen?

-Yeah, and her happy snappers.

HEAVY ROCK MUSIC PLAYS

MUSIC BLARES

Oh, you should see Kara.

She looks just like her mother, that one.

-She is.

-Shouldn't have done that, though.

That was really nasty.

-Oh, you...

-SHE COUGHS

Mum? You all right?

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

Ding-ding! Aye-aye, Gryff.

Still trying to grow that bum fluff?

Come on, feel some real man whiskers, eh?

His seventh labour is to capture the Cretan bull.

-Are they for me?

-Yeah.

Pass them here, then, before you ruin them.

Left the price on, too.

£1.42.

Last of the big spenders, eh?

You and her all right, or what?

-Good, so...

-Well, I'm around and that.

Yeah. No, we're good.

Honest?

Because I've got an idea that might cheer your mam up a bit.

Oh, yeah?

COUGHING

WHEEZING

-Sure you don't want me to call 999?

-No, no!

Meet me in the car.

Yeah, right. Just give me a minute.

COUGHING AND SPLUTTERING CONTINUES

The eighth labour was to capture the mares of King Diomedes.

No!

Mam. Shh...

It's OK. It's OK, it's OK.

It's OK. It's OK. Shh...

-It's OK.

-SHE SIGHS

DRAMATIC MUSIC SWELLS

MUSIC STOPS, CAR HORN BEEPS

It's OK.

Keep it running, yeah?

Block up.

Hey! Hey, you!

You want a shot?

SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

BELL RINGS

THUDDING

You all right, bud?

I'll get you some water.

The ninth labour was to bring back the belt of Hippolyta.

Here we go, then.

Coach!

You don't think she'll be cross, do you?

What saint did you swap places with?

The hoops she went through just to get in the ring, let alone win.

She never gave up on anything in her life, and neither should you.

-Stay strong, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Are you coming in?

-No. No.

Not tonight. You did the hard work. You take the glory.

Labour number ten is to capture the cattle of Geryon...

Think you could lend some milk?

..protected by his two-headed dog.

-Hey.

-You're pleased with yourself.

I got you something.

Oh...!

SHE CHUCKLES

I've got something for you, too.

The apples of Hersperides.

The 11th labour.

One bite of these makes you immortal.

Yeah, but you wouldn't want to crack your teeth, would you?

Not even to live for ever?

Who want to live for ever smiling like...?

I just... I guess...

I just wanted you to live for longer.

I know you do, strongman.

So do I. So do I.

Eh, remember the 12th task?

Capture Cerberus from the Underworld.

You do know that it's me that's got to do that one, don't you?

Old Three-Head had better watch out,

because your mam can still pack a bit of a punch, you know.

Know what's going to make me happy,

while I'm up there, watching over you?

You cry once in a while. OK?

Because that way, I'll know how much you love me.

SHE SOBS

Once in a while, a boy comes along -

a boy so strong, even the gods are jealous.

They decide to test him,

one impossible labour after the other,

in the hope he'll fail.

Scene 29, shot 24, take two.

You need to hug again for the camera.

When Torfaen's Andy Toovey was asked

which of the It's My Shout scripts he'd like to direct,

he didn't take long to choose The 12 Labours Of Gryff.

Action!

The script was always one of the ones that stood out

in terms of the way it brings this very old story,

the story of Hercules and his 12 labours,

together with a contemporary setting.

Once in a while, a boy comes along -

a boy so strong, even the gods are jealous.

There's something really interesting about the way the script, kind of,

looks at these themes of strength

through Hercules and his mighty deeds,

beating all these monsters, but then Gryff,

in this kind of mundane setting, doing something equally difficult,

if not more courageous, in caring for his mum,

who is dying of cancer.

You get milk?

Er, yeah. Well, no.

It's...complicated.

Little track number...

I think, for an actor, the film set is a really hard place

to be vulnerable on camera,

because, although it doesn't look like it

when you see it on TV or on film,

for those actors in there,

they're actually surrounded by 40 people,

who all have these different jobs to be doing.

There's a lot going on immediately before action is called.

Even just the calling of "action" reminds them

that they are on a film set doing a job,

rather than in this imagined situation

where they have to bring so much emotion to the surface.

I just want you to live for longer.

SHE SNIFFS

Yeah, you've just got to prepare yourself emotionally.

You just think of bringing your own personal experiences into it,

lock out all the crew, which is, there's a lot of them there,

but then I just pictured my children sitting in front of me,

instead of Zabian, and having to tell them

the news that Evelyn has to tell Gryff, really,

so you draw on that personal emotion, then.

Yeah, it was rather difficult,

but...I don't know,

I got through it and I just thought about who I was talking to

and just the camera and forgot about everyone else.

I knew there was loads of trainees as well around us,

so that made it a bit more difficult,

but I think I pushed through pretty well anyway.

-Morning, Mum.

-Morning.

Pass my water, please.

I really liked, in Zabian, the fact that it felt,

even from meeting him, that there was a lot more going on

beneath the surface than he was willing to reveal.

It looked like he was holding things back.

To be honest with you, I just had such a connection

with Vicky, Victoria, my mum in the play,

that...I don't know, I just took it off her.

She was, she was...

She brought out my emotions, in a way.

But also, I went in my personal issues at home and stuff

and took it, just brought it out.

That's how I brought my emotions to the table.

Vicky and Zabian actually auditioned together.

They did an improv together, which blew us away,

because it was moving, it was powerful.

I think, in different ways, they could both relate to the story,

and that just gave their portrayal of the characters

added depth, sincerity, authenticity.

That was absolutely...

I'm an emotional wreck!

With Evelyn, it's...

Yeah, she was a boxer, you know.

She was this tough character, a champion,

and I think she tried to keep that for as long as she can

through her life and through the illness,

and the day of the shooting is the day

that she's obviously telling Gryff,

she's telling him goodbye, basically.

And...

SHE CLEARS HER THROAT

So she's going to lose that strength a little bit then, you know?

-TEARFULLY:

-Sorry.

I think we see a lot of images of strength around us,

but they are usually associated with visible strength.

BELL RINGS

THUDDING

The heart of this story is actually the strongest thing Gryff can do

is show his mother how much he cares,

allow what's inside to come out.

I just wanted you to live for longer.

I know you do, strongman.

Strength can mean a lot of things, but I think,

in a situation like this, it's...it's being strong to carry on

without that person you love, without that bond

and somebody who's been in your life that long.

It's like losing...losing a limb, isn't it?

It's like having them ripped away from you

and you having to carry on.

That's the hard bit, and that's where people,

I think, have got the strength to be able to do that.

I just want to say thank you to everyone from me and Andy.

It's been an amazing three days.

Zabian and Vicky, absolutely fantastic.

Thank you.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE