Everybody's Child

The director narrates his extraordinary story of drug addiction and attempts to rebuild his life and regain his children

Everybody's Child Garry faces up to the damage done by a life of crime and drugs. He wants to ensure his three children have something he never had: a loving, supportive family. He's directing the documentary at the same time as battling his heroin addiction. As the narrative develops, his desperate fight almost destroys Garry. His making of the documentary and his recovery become interlinked. It means the audience is in for an emotional and powerful ride.
"I wasn't born into this world, I was thrown at it", reflects Garry Fraser as he looks out over Muirhouse, the inner city housing estate where he grew up. "With an alcoholic for a dad and a mum who just didn't know how to love, I was up against odds right from the start." Having been at the epicentre of the 1980s AIDS epidemic, this corner of Edinburgh is now home to fractured families left grieving the loss of young drug addiction victims. "I'm running out of numbers for the amount of pals that I know have died", Garry says frankly.

Whilst battling his own heroin addiction, Garry walks us through his dark past and revisits memorable locations from his childhood. Having lived in 26 care homes in 8 years, he describes his turbulent upbringing of sexual and physical abuse, and his experience of running away from his so-called home. "A multi-tasking criminal at sixteen years old, I was heading straight for the revolving door systems of Her Majesty's prison", he explains. But a previous care worker sheds light on a different side to Garry; "When you came here you were calm and you loved it... the drugs, they just took you away".

Times have changed, and now Garry is happily married with three children. His newfound security has filled him with determination to become the father he never had, despite his ongoing battle with addiction and recovery, and trying to come to terms with the poor decisions of his past. Meanwhile, he struggles to locate the sense of purpose enshrouded by his dependence on medication. As we watch Garry attempt to come off his medication completely and wait for the results of a HIV test, the bleak and harsh realities of recovery are laid bare.

Deeply personal and straight-talking, Garry's story sheds light on the difficulties of escaping the shackles of addiction, but also the strength and determination of a man seeking a better future.

FULL SYNOPSIS

The Producers


Garry's debut short films quickly brought him to the attention of industry professionals. In 4 Life received an MTV award and his self funded Tolerance received an Outstanding Achievement Award from TSB Bank and The Scottish Prison Service. A graduate of the film course at Telford College, Garry is committed to pursuing his career as a filmmaker. A doting father of three, he is also concerned to ensure that young people have access to choosing art over drugs or violence as they reach adulthood. Through his government backed social enterprise, Wideo Media, he runs regular workshops using acting and film making to express themselves. The group make short films exploring their own social issues.

Making The Film


I've wanted to tell this story for a long time. For me, its a story about what happened to 'my people'. Its hard to get across what its like to live as an underclass on an estate. And what happens when we have to deal with poverty stricken social issues, like addiction or an AIDS epidemic. This is a deeply personal story that I hope transcends into more than just a film. I think it shows why people from these schemes do the things they do. I hope it will make it harder for society to judge and dismiss us. The hardest thing about being of an underclass is we're not at the table. We are not even considered worthy of consultation. This affects many communities across the world. I hope my story helps to bring people together and find ways to break down the boundaries that have made it hard for us to be heard.

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