“Life’s a bitch and then you cry.”

This is the raw credo of Morning Glory, a short film written by filmmaker and former Forest Gate resident Robert Bertrand who is raising £3,000 to make the project a reality.

The coming-of-age flick is the story of two best friends in their early twenties, Tanya and Candice, who struggle to move on and fear to lose each other.

Tanya reveals to Candice she is about to leave for the army, shortly after her mother commits suicide.

Robert describes the film as “quite bold and ambitious, thoughtful and provocative”.

“It challenges so many different things like sexuality, identity, being a young person in this day and age, peer pressure and just the struggles of lives,” he told the Recorder.

“It talks about the struggles people face with emotionally engaged characters.”

The film is currently billed as a 12-15 minute short but Robert says he already knows how it could develop into a full-length feature.

The 29-year-old said the idea for it formed itself over the last few years and the characters “leapt” to his mind.

The videographer, who has already made dozens of short films and is a trained actor with the National Theatre, is hoping to shoot the flick in Essex.

Rehearsals have already started with the experienced cast-of-two – Jade-Marie Joseph as Tanya and Bianca Beckles-Rose as Candice.

Pending on the funding, Robert hopes filming can take place in January.

“So much happened in 2016 and I felt this is a relevant story that I wanted to make now,” he said.

“I am really looking forward to it.”

The funds raised will help the cast cover travel expenses, camera rent and equipment, post-production costs and sharing the film to festivals.

Robert, who counts film-makers Spike Lee, Shane Meadows and Mike Leigh as inspirations, said he hoped people would see Morning Glory as a worthwhile project to support.

“It is an important story that needs to be told,” he said.

So far, Robert has raised nearly half of his target. The deadline for meeting his fundraising target is 6pm on January 5. Recognition packages are available for donors.

To help him make his film, you can donate on his crowdfunding page. Visit kickstarter.com/projects/181377171/morning-glory-0?ref=project_tweet