The Bearcat

An intimate psychological portrait inspired by the true story of an ordinary girl who grows into a notorious cult leader - and the family that shaped her.

bearcat: a large, tree-dwelling mammal; 1920s slang for a fiery girl or woman. 1987. Family is everything to Anne. Our Messiah. And Anne demands everything from The Family; their loyalty, their money, even their children. In return, she promises existential comfort to the lost and weary women. Because Anne knows how hard it is to build a family - and how devastatingly easy it is to lose one. 1921. A child is born on a sticky summer evening. Our Anne. Her mother, Florence, is isolated and overwhelmed, trapped at home with an indifferent husband and a newborn whose demands are relentless. A childless neighbour's offer of help is a lifeline as Florence struggles to reconcile motherhood and her shifting sense of self. For both Anne and Florence, the past is for escaping, and love is impossible to trust. All they can hope for is that their family will save them.

The Bearcat is a dark and nuanced exploration of longing, power and the inviolable grip of history.