Splitsville is a branching narrative, an interactive streaming or online documentary that puts viewers into the shoes of people going through financial abuse in a breakup, as every decision they make affects not only the future choices they’ll have, but what life post-separation can look like.
We follow three dramatized characters – Maggie, Aditi and Christine – all drawn from real, lived, composite experiences, helping maximise story and maintain anonymity. Their scenarios lead to interviews with survivor-advocates, family lawyers, psychologists, doctors, social workers, contextualising the ecosystem and the harrowing nuance of navigating the end of a relationship legally, socially and economically.
Splitsville will explore the systemic barriers of family court, the ATO and Centrelink, the under-resourcing of legal aid, social housing and women’s shelters, and the psychological impact of financial abuse and disparate gendered expectations around marriage and parenthood.
But mostly it’s about the day-to-day choices that women experiencing high-conflict divorces and co-parenting situations have to make. Sometimes your choice for the day is whether to work on your draft affidavit, take a breath, or play with the kids. The viewer chooses – forge ahead or take some time out – a short meditation, or a children’s picture book.
These choices within the documentary format offer a release from the tension. They can offer resources, eg to help explain to your kids about separation or not having any money. They also reflect the reality that this is not a job or project you’re navigating; it’s your life, and there are no designated days off.
Splitsville celebrates the power of women in untenable relationships, providing a unique, interactive window into the world of financial abuse and emotional manipulation, the barriers to independence after divorce and parenthood, and the impact of choices made across the journey.
