Balance, Not Symmetry 2019

Caitlin Walker returns to Glasgow to pick up her third-year studies at the Glasgow School of Art after the funeral of her father, Leonard. At the graveside, her mother Mary Walker speaks softly but with honesty about loss and memory, and Caitlin is supported by her best friend Hannah as she begins to process the emotional weight of her father’s death. The atmosphere at home is tense yet intimate, and Caitlin and Hannah lean on each other as they move forward into a new chapter of artist life in a city that feels both intimate and estranging.

In class, Caitlin attends a seminar led by Fiona Miller, who speaks with a fierce clarity about abstract expressionism and the way women have historically been overlooked and erased from art history. Fiona’s words spark something in Caitlin, and she finds herself drawn into a rich conversation about art that no longer wants to be decorative but to be lived and seen in everyday spaces. That night, Caitlin reconnects with the guy from the party, Rory, and agrees to a museum date. Their conversation flows as they move through galleries, and they share a belief that art should be vibrant and present in the world around them, not confined to walls or whispers of the past.

Back in the studio, Caitlin wrestles with her end-of-year presentation and throws herself into a massive canvas. The act of painting becomes a way to contend with her grief, but frustration flares and she deliberately scratches and scars the surface. At home, her mother Mary Walker also struggles to re-enter her own creative life after Leonard’s death, and she too feels the pressure to produce something meaningful. Caitlin’s phone buzzes with a message, and she rushes to check on her mother, discovering that Mary has collapsed from drinking. Caitlin’s concern for Mary is immediate, but she recognizes that she cannot always be the caretaker she wants to be. Mary reassures her, promising that the emotional storm will ease and that she’ll find her footing again.

The social balance among Caitlin, Hannah, Rory, and Stacey shifts as the days go by. In a dinner with Hannah and Stacey, the group navigates the aftershocks of grief and the pull of youth. The drama of relationships—Caitlin with Rory, Hannah with Stacey—unfolds as the night deepens. By night’s end, two couples drift toward Caitlin and Hannah’s house, sharing light kisses and the messy, hopeful energy of late-night companionship. The morning after is tense: Caitlin and Hannah have a fierce argument in the kitchen about who drank the almond milk, but the fight quickly becomes a barrage of deeper resentments and fears. Caitlin stomps off to return to her canvas, while Mary quietly tends to her own work, sketching away the noise of the morning.

That afternoon, a mosaic of apologies and reconciliation begins to take shape. Hannah apologizes in a note-filled, hopeful gesture, leaving a message for Caitlin in her room. Caitlin returns to the studio to pour out her heart, confessing that she feels threatened by Stacey’s presence, and Mary comforts her, reminding her that Hannah is also shouldering her own burdens. When Hannah arrives later to bridge the gap, the two friends embrace, and Caitlin declares that she wants to focus on her own process for the moment—but she also wants to keep working with Hannah, who is invited to participate in the London project alongside her.

The final class is marked by a meeting with Catherine Hendricks, a Turner Prize-winning Scottish artist whose life and work have long been entwined with her art. Catherine speaks with candor about the interplay between personal turmoil and creative achievement, challenging Caitlin to consider how her own story might evolve over time. Catherine accompanies Fiona to examine Caitlin’s presentation, and Caitlin opens up about her father’s passing and how painting has become a way to embody and process loss. Catherine invites Caitlin to join her on a London project as an assistant, and Caitlin accepts—with one condition: her best work comes from working in tandem with Hannah, who is also asked to join.

With a sense of direction finally forming, Caitlin travels to her father’s grave one last time before heading toward what feels like a hopeful future. She tells her dad that London awaits, that the pieces of her life are aligning, and that she is ready to embrace what comes next. Hannah joins her at the graveside, takes Caitlin’s hand, and together they walk toward the car. As the car pulls away, the two friends step into a new chapter, carrying the memory of Leonard and the promise of a shared artistic journey that could change the course of their lives.