Essex Girls

Synopsis

Life hasn’t always been easy for Bisola, one of the only Black girls in her small Essex town. Although her close friends Charlie and Saffron think the world of her, they also don’t seem to understand what makes her tick. Her British-Nigerian heritage often leaves her feeling othered and her dating life is non-existent. However, when a classroom discussion brings her closer to the outgoing and confident Ashlee, another Black girl at her school, Bisola’s outlook on her identity begins to change. After joining Ashlee on a trip to attend a party in London, she is introduced to a whole new world of sisterhood and culture that previously seemed out of reach, leaving her with a problem – how does she balance her newfound friendship and exhilarating adventure of self-discovery with the life she had become comfortable with for so many years? Turning the stereotype of the Essex Girl on its head, this short British drama, based on the director’s real life experiences, is a funny, significant and incredibly authentic look at how self-identity plays a complex but important part of growing up Black in Britain.