Say My Name is an uncomfortable film to watch. It is beautiful and emotional and human and inspirational, but it’s also profoundly upsetting because of how real and raw it is.

And that discomfort is something we should embrace. That tingling feeling of unease triggers something inside us, sparking reflection, and maybe even action. Isn't that the essence of art?

Say My Name is an Australian short film based on Mel Baker’s memoir, Sleeping Under the Bridge. The film has earned over 90 international film awards.

It follows Mel’s journey as a young girl, enduring abuse and exploitation by her father and his friends, before being abandoned on the streets of Sydney as a vulnerable teenager. Despite the darkness of her past, Mel’s strength, courage, and resilience shine through as she finds hope - even as her traumatic history threatens to resurface.

The film aims to ignite conversations on critical issues like child sexual abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, teenage suicide, and mental health.

A still from Say My Name. Photos supplied.

Baker shares how writing her memoir and working on the film helped her heal. “I feel healing through writing it because I'm a strong visual person. I visualise myself back in that situation, especially when writing about my childhood, and I feel everything I felt as a child,” she says.

“I put myself right back in that space. And it’s harrowing and repulsive what I went through, but I find healing in getting through that and reflecting on how I survived through different traumas. It’s a therapeutic process.”

However, Baker’s primary motivation for revisiting these painful memories is to help others who’ve gone through similar experiences.

“For me, it’s about other people more than myself. I felt like the film could embrace these themes and show people who have lived through it that there’s hope - there’s a way to live life again, to find yourself, transform, and get through these really difficult things,” says Baker.

“And people can latch onto whatever part resonates with their own lives, whether it was domestic violence, violence on the streets, or something else.”

Baker is the co-writer and producer of the film, which is directed by Rhoyce Nova, with cinematography by Zachary Peel-Mcgregor. The film does an excellent job of conveying intense, impactful emotions without words. It handles confronting subject matter while also offering a sense of hope for those going through similar struggles.

Set around the city of Sydney, the film was a personal challenge for Baker, as revisiting the locations tied to her traumatic past was emotionally difficult.

Baker with the composer (who also plays her in the film). Photos supplied.

“The hardest thing for me was going back to those same locations. I’ve made peace with the Sydney Harbour Bridge because it’s changed so much since I slept under it. But Kings Cross was tough - I hadn’t been back there, and filming a night scene there was really hard,” Baker says.

“Even though it’s been cleaned up so much and is different from the ‘80s, there were still some of the same shops and pubs. It was confronting, and I had to push through because I was also a counsellor on set, making sure the cast and crew were okay with the heavy themes we were dealing with.”

There’s also a particularly disturbing scene involving a roulette wheel, which Baker found difficult to be near.

“That roulette wheel prop stayed in my car for months. I couldn’t throw it out or donate it to charity. I just couldn’t touch it. I couldn’t even look at my car boot. It was so hard to get it out of there,” says Baker.

“Plus, I still had the bloodied shirt and some clothing the actress wore, who played me as Mel. It felt like Mel from the past was living in my car for months.”

Say My Name is now available to watch for free on Vimeo. Despite its unsettling subject matter, stories like these need to be shared and embraced because they are real. The first step in addressing a problem is acknowledging its existence - saying its name.