Bitter Taste tells the underrepresented story of "Neds" -- the urban working class youth of Scotland -- and class identity in the workspace. The director himself comes from this social background and we will be shooting with young actors based in the same underprivileged areas depicted in our film.

 

Fraser is at the top of his game. He’s the head chef of a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Yet when asked one night to personally make his “chef’s special apple crumble,” he is harkened back to his childhood growing up on a Glaswegian housing estate, and by thoughts of the woman who taught him his recipe— his mother.

 

 

Bitter Taste is about a Michelin star-winning chef who struggles to reconcile his ambition and success with his working-class upbringing.  Fraser’s experience was birthed from my own childhood growing up in a remote working-class town in Scotland. Leaving school at 16, I saw filmmaking as my “out” and left home for London. That same ambition has taken me across the ocean to New York City. But the real challenge with growing up working-class however is not moving distances, but wrestling with class boundaries. In pursuit of success, one must adapt their character, often against one's will. The result of this disconnect is a sense of split identity, of existing between two worlds and belonging to neither.

 

Fraser, a young man raised in a rough district in Glasgow, makes his way up the ranks from dishwasher to head chef and eventually finds himself as the owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. He embarks on one of the primary career paths offering working-class individuals an opportunity to advance their socio-economic status, as many chefs begin working in kitchens as teenagers, by washing dishes to help support their family.

 

There are many social realist films that focus on the lives of working-class people. What distinguishes this film is the exploration of the lead character’s experience of class after he's already made it through to the “other side.” Bitter Taste depicts Fraser’s experience as he tries to recreate his mother’s humble apple crumble, and with it, the sensorial memory of his past growing up in a very different world from that which he lives in now.

 

 

 

 

All filming for the Bitter Taste scenes in New York City (two thirds of the total film) has been COMPLETED. It was shot on the C300 Mark II in stunning 4K by cinematographer Tyson VanSkiver who worked on the Sundance award-winning film Blood Brother. Our lead actor, Alexis Trolf, is a real-life award winning chef. We are now trying to gain funding for the second half of our production, which will be shot in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as for post-production, marketing, and festival costs.

 

 

For more information, please visit the Bitter Taste website at www.bittertastefilm.com

 

 

 

We will use finances raised to fly our core crew (director, producer, DP) to Scotland as well as cast, rehearse and shoot the second half of Bitter Taste:

 

 

 

In the event we reach our goal of $6,000 (Fingers crossed! Let’s do this!) we have stretch goals ($2,000) that would allow us to pay more towards our crew and cast as well as for post-production (sound design, music, color grading, and the DCP). Here’s a look at those numbers:

 

 

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP

If you are unable to donate to our film at this time, no worries! We are freelancers in New York City and understand the pinch. You can still take part and support the mission by sharing our campaign page on Social Media, liking us on Facebook and Instagram, and/or providing your email for updates on the film's progress and other opportunities to get involved.

Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] to be added to our mailing list.

 

 

 

 

 

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