Hello Stranger
Synopsis
Joe wants to make this film so people ‘get’ him, know what it means to be neurodivergent, and what he has been able to achieve despite many challenges. Beryl shows the evolution of a family created from scratch that’s had to keep adapting. The challenge and recalibration of being a parent and a lifetime carer.
The core of the story is told through 28 years of home movie footage- sparky, warm and funny as Nathan/Joe develops into the man he is today. Alongside, a growing boy is shown, much misunderstood and almost destroyed by the prejudice and ignorance surrounding neurodivergence. The family therapy received along the way offers some support, but also reveals how the family dynamic was influenced by Beryl’s own experience of childhood neglect.
Beryl first saw 6-month-old Nathan on a VHS tape. She and husband Dave responded with a video welcoming him to their home. For the past 28 years Beryl has recorded “our feelings, our joy and our pain" so that Nathan could better understand his story later in life.
Details
- Year
- 2026
- Type of project
- Features
- Running time
- 87 min
- Format
- Digital
- Director
-
Beryl Richards
- Producer
- John Archer, Alex Usborne
- Executive Producer
- Lisa Marie Russo, Clara Glynn
- Editor
- James Alcock
- Composer
- Stephen Warbeck
Genre
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
Hopscotch Films
John ArcherFilm City Glasgow
401, Govan Road
Glasgow
G51 2QJ
Page updates
This page was last updated on 27th October 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
Perfect World
Director: Beryl Richards
Year: 2010
In a Perfect World what would you wish for? A 12 minute film poem using the visual theme of a wishing tree, created from the surreal and lyrical answers given by the students of Centre Academy Special School, London.
Snakeboy and the Sandcastle
Director: Beryl Richards
Year: 2004
Two nine-year-olds, one a refugee from China, find friendship on a beach while building sandcastles.
Dancing on Road
Director: Lauren Gee
Year: 2024
Documenting and celebrating the Black British female roller-skating community, showcasing its long history and fixture within popular culture. Blurring the boundaries between documentary and music video, this experimental film reveals the expansive network of London’s Black skate scene through two key individuals that share their stories and delve into what this space and their skate crews and mentors provide them. This joyous exploration gives visibility to a subculture that to many outsiders is unknown but is made familiar through its nostalgic lens which pays homage to the sports DIY and music-led roots. Official Selection Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival 2025