'I want to show teens it's ok to talk'

A 13-year-old boy who is starring in a short film about mental health has said he hopes it will show teenagers that it is "okay to talk".

Jake, from Sherborne, Dorset, is playing one of the main characters in I Am Enough, a short film written by Lauren J Irwin.

Jake said his character, like many of the others, was "hiding from a tough background".

"My goal for this is just that a lot of other people do watch it and know it's okay to speak," he said.

The film features people grappling with bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and self harm, among other things.

Jake, who has been acting since he was seven years old, said he played a character whose brother was a drug dealer, with people always assuming his character was the same.

"He's really scared but he puts on a hard front," he said.

In one scene, his brother has to get "really angry" and push him up against the wall.

Jake's mum, Jo, said it was "awful" to see.

"This big guy was pinning him up against the wall," she said.

"It's really hard to watch."

She said the film was "really, really hard hitting" - but that was why it was so important.

"I did actually shed a few tears at the end," she said.

"I'm really proud of [Jake]. He's doing really well."

Filming finished two months ago, and Jake said a lot of his friends were "really excited" to see the finished version.

"All of my friends have got a lot of hidden disabilities so we like to just show what its like being like [that]," he said.

"This is going to be really, really good... it's such a hard subject," said Jo.

"It's one of the projects that [Jake] is most proud of... it's going to do some real good for teens."

I am Enough is being submitted to be shown at short film festivals in the coming year.

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