Constable 027 is the story of Llanden, a young man in the Sussex police service, only 6 weeks on the job. Originally billed as a short about whether or not the service would accept him as he is, this short (only 14 minutes) is more an exploration of Llanden’s journey to define himself and his place in the service than anything else.
Llanden was attacked in a hate crime and as he was wrestled to the ground by his attacked he was told, “That’s what you get for being a pouffe.” The sensitive way in which his case as handled by the officers assigned inspired him to become part of the service. He said that up until that point he had never associated the police with compassion and decided that was something he could dedicate his life to.
And compassion he gets. Treated exactly the same as every other new hire, he is welcomed and accepted just as he is. We get the sense from the sort that this is something a little new to him but we are encouraged as he forges ahead, even participating in the service’s gay pride march.
Constable 027 is a beautiful and simple portrait of one man who is looking for acceptance in his world…and finding it so far.
Check out director Christopher Lee Ball’s portfolio here.
