Worried, Sick:
NI Screen - New Shorts Focus
2025
Worried, Sick is a short film written and directed by Paul Mulgrew that was selected as part of the NI Screen New Shorts Focus programme and was screened at Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast.
Inspired by a conversation with a medical professional, the film explores an often overlooked aspect of childhood illness: the ways in which children attempt to protect their caregivers from emotional pain. While Kevin’s mother is trying to shield him from the reality of his prognosis, Kevin is engaged in a parallel act of care, concealing his own fears to spare her distress. The film challenges traditional assumptions about caregiving, presenting it as a reciprocal relationship in which vulnerability and responsibility flow in both directions.
The film is interested in how young people process the idea of death, often oscillating between curiosity, practicality and fear. It considers relationships and conversations as spaces in which uncertainty can be shared, resisted and collectively processed.
