"Van Wife"

30 October 2024

10 mins 06s

Road to ruin.

Set up in 1974, Women's Aid was the first domestic violence organisation to unite refuge services from across the country. Now in its fiftieth year, the charity has found a new ally in viral publisher LADbible. The result is a ten-minute short film about Liv and Jack, a couple about to hit the road in a camper van. Her friend Duncan, however, has cause for concern.

Jack covers up a mole on Liv's face, then makes them leave before everyone else. Her other friends brush it off, but not Duncan. Once the trip is underway, Jack shows his true colours in shades that are hard to stomach.

He forces himself on her, pushes her to the ground in plain sight ("Everything's high passion these days," says another van owner to his concerned wife), and cuts her hair to his taste. With Jack in control of her phone, the world sees the adventures of @Vanwifey1990; Duncan sees proof of coercive control.

It's unbearable to watch as reality dawns on her. The Liv we see about to board a ferry with Jack is a shadow of the one we met almost ten minutes ago. This is what domestic abuse does to people, so it's little wonder Women's Aid and LADbible wish to make red flags more noticeable than ever before.

UK

Charities