Lorrie, played by Malaysia Newland, and director Jake Mavity
Vitiligo is a condition where areas of skin dramatically lose their pigment, causing white patches to spread over the face and body. Often brought on by puberty, it can lead to low-self esteem, marginalisation and body dysmorphia. This can be amplified for people of colour, since it can also profoundly challenge notions of self-identity and race.
Co-written with Jake Mavity’s partner and producer Sarah Mavity, Calico is the story of Lorrie, a 15yr old with vitiligo all over her face and body. Bullied at school and misunderstood by her teachers for not wanting to swim, she is withdrawn, hiding in her own fantasy world of comics and animation.
Lorrie forges an unlikely kinship with the school’s mottled goldfish, a fish trapped in its tank, whose fate mirrors her own. When the fish begs her for help to escape, she goes on an unlikely and cathartic adventure of magical realism to help it find freshwater. As Lorrie starts to learn about courage and tenacity she starts to come to terms with her own physical differences.
Cast and crew on shoot day
This journey of personal discovery and growth is something director and writer Jake Mavity, who also has vitiligo, was particularly keen to represent in the film.
Jake explains, “When I was a teenager I felt extremely isolated due to my vitiligo, like I was freakish and different. I still feel people with skin abnormalities are under-represented on screen. Vitiligo is only ever seen in fashion advertising where it is presented as an exotic otherness to sell perfume or clothes. It’s high time someone with a physical difference played the hero and Calico is that story!
“The casting of Lorrie took four years as it was such a specific brief. It was crucial to find someone with vitiligo who was vulnerable enough to play a teenager going through these dramatic physical changes yet self-confident enough that they were able to perform in front of a large crew.”
Jake enlisted the help of Coralie Rose at Road Casting, who specialise in finding diverse and unseen faces. Jake continues, “It was a long process, driving all over the UK interviewing and workshopping a host of amazing young people. There were many near misses but all throughout this process we were re-writing the script, adding the insights and truths we discovered on our journey. Eventually we found Malayisa Newland and it was absolutely worth the wait.”
See more films from Jake Mavity here
Pool scene with DP Murren Tullett
