Synopsis:

Heavy Load follows director Jerry Rothwell in his own pursuit of happiness through the filming of an unlikely punk band.

Michael, Simon and Jim are three adults with learning disabilities who, with their support workers Mick and Paul, make up Heavy Load. The film is an honest and revealing portrait of the band’s journey and the effect that filmmaking has, not just on the band, but on the director himself. Will the very making of the film, which starts out as a healing experience for Rothwell, have the inverse effect on its subjects, causing fractions within the band?

A mixture of the institutional timetable of day centres, work placements and social workers and the chaotic slacker life of rehearsal rooms, studios and gigs, Heavy Load not only embraces the band’s characters and growing ambitions but comments on the ethics of filmmaking - a moving exploration of ambition, ego and happiness.