Running

Told in two time frames, we begin with a shot of a young woman, Freya, stepping over an unconscious older woman and onto a TV set. Then, through flashback to four years earlier, a Bristol comprehensive school where a sixteen year old Freya attempts to seduce a teacher, Mr Jefford. He resists, noticing something isn’t quite right with her, and when she rushes away in tears, he follows her into the abandoned school chapel. Inside he realises he has fallen into an attempted honey trap, four other girls; Lori, Nadine, Gina and Magda are there waiting. Freya finds a report into their apparent criminal activity - but excluding Lori and Freya. Nadine, while tormenting Mr Jefford, reveals that the girls have formed a pact and are involved with a criminal gang. Mr Jefford confirms that he decided to take mercy on Freya and Lori. Nadine then burns the report and coerces Magda to join her in brutally assaulting Mr Jefford. In the present day, Freya is in a job interview to work as a runner for a kids TV show. She is now going by the name ‘Lucy’ and has been recommended to the job by a man named Gryff. Rhona and Clive; the panel, think little of her, but after a speech imploring them to give her a chance, Clive makes an offer. On seeing a group of teenagers outside Freya’s mind is thrown back to the past. A school assembly shortly after the Mr Jefford incident, It seems that Mr Jefford has reported that he was assaulted by a group of men, the girls are relieved, for now, though the headmistress has her suspicions and approaches Freya. She is evasive but is shaken, she receives a text from Lori asking to meet. Gina approaches Freya after school and asks if she thinks Lori is wavering, Freya covers for her. Freya meets Lori in an abandoned department store. They discuss their childhoods together before Freya expresses remorse for what they’ve been up to, which includes ferrying drugs. Before Lori can stop her saying too much, the other three girls break cover - it’s a set up. Nadine attempts to attack Freya, she escapes, but in the ensuing melee ends up pushing Lori over a balcony, she lands three stories below. Freya is chased out. Freya arrives home to a small flat in a tower block. Her mum is watching a kids TV show, barely conscious and surrounded by pills. Freya cleans herself up and takes a bag of cash from under her bed, where she has also stored the drug packages, then leaves. She arrives at her cousin’s place and bribes him with an ounce of weed to let her stay. They turn on the TV to see that Lori has been seriously injured. Back in the present, Freya moves into a bedsit and starts work on Penny’s Pet Challenge, a show where kids team up with pets to complete challenges. Freya will be working as a pet poop-scooper in the lead up to a 25th anniversary live show. The crew are stand-offish and carry an air of privilege, Penny is much more abrasive off camera. In another flashback, it’s weeks after moving in and Freya has not left Matty’s flat. He convinces her to come out with him, she is shaken by a near miss with Gina and is also spotted by a local drug dealer. Matty convinces her to check on her mum. Freya returns home to find her mum in a poor state, she also finds that the girls have visited the house with a death threat letter. Freya gets a call from Matty who has just been tortured by the gang and has revealed Freya’s whereabouts. The flat is firebombed, Freya attempts to help her mum escape but her mum chooses to stay behind, Freya is chased off by the girls. Lost and alone she decides to hitchhike, ending up in Margate on the other side of the UK. She gets a text from Matty telling her that Mum is okay. Freya finds an ad for a cafe waitress job that offers accommodation, she introduces herself as ‘Lucy’. Back in the present day, Freya overhears rumblings that Penny is considered a liability and will soon be dropped from the show, while eavesdropping Freya misses a damp patch on the floor, leading to a slip and Freya knocking coffee all over Penny. During the clean up, Oscar, the director, realises that Penny’s cup was full of booze. He asks Freya to keep it quiet. Back to the past and Freya has been working in the cafe as ‘Lucy’ for many months, on New Years Eve she is spotted by a friend of Matty’s, she rushes back to her digs. Alone, she checks news reports on Nadine’s trial as midnight strikes. Back in the present and it’s the day before the live show and Penny is refusing to accept an overnight chaperone, she spots Freya and requests it be her, the producers reluctantly accept, demanding that Freya watch her at all times and doesn’t let her leave the hotel. Once alone, Penny manipulates Freya into helping her learn lines at the local pub. Freya is reminded of Margate, and the day she first met Gryff, a director making an advert on the seafront. Gryff is also from the Westcountry and takes a shine to Freya giving her an insight into the filmmaking process. Later, Freya sees a news report that Nadine has been sentenced. While outside to take some air, she prevents some equipment being stolen. She is gone before Gryff can thank her. The line-learning session in the pub descends into a wild night of cocktails, Freya wakes with Penny and two other men in her bedsit, one of the men has given Freya a full makeover. There is a mad rush to get to the studio in time for the live show, on arrival Freya is refused entry by the producers, but Penny insists she come through, as soon as they are separated Freya is ejected. One day while Freya is working in the cafe, Lori enters in a wheelchair. Lori tells her that she has moved on with her life and suggests that Freya should too. Freya is unable to accept this, or Lori’s mercy, Lori leaves. Freya finds that Gryff and his crew have finished their shoot and are also leaving, she begs Gryff to help her get away. Gryff offers a contact at a TV studio in Bristol and says he will vouch for her. He leaves. In the present, Freya makes a last ditch effort to get back into the studio, sneaking in with the live audience. Once inside it’s clear that Penny is not in a good state. Freya is spotted and is chased around the building while Clive gives a speech on his gilded entrance into the industry. Freya escapes the clutches of security and ends up backstage seconds before the show goes live. Penny is unconscious, Freya takes her chance and goes on instead. She blows everyone away. From news reports, we learn that Freya has been offered the presenter role permanently. We see various faces from Freya’s past watching the news, including Magda, who seems not to have moved on from the betrayal, Gina, now a corporate high flyer, and from her prison canteen, Nadine, who’s first action is to make a phone-call: “You’ll never guess who I’ve just seen on telly”.