“It’s Not Physical, But…” – Giving Voice to the Unseen Spectrum of Domestic Abuse

Domestic violence is a pervasive epidemic that cuts across social, economic and cultural divides – a crisis that continues to haunt society in silence. Yet, as survivors know too well, our understanding of abuse remains painfully inadequate, narrowly focused on physical harm while missing more insidious forms that leave deep, invisible scars. 

In a poignant new campaign for the UK charity, Refuge, actress Billie Piper, brings voice to unspoken stories of domestic abuse survivors. Working with creative team Lauren Peters and Augustine Cerf of AMV BBDO, along with director Georgi Banks-Davies, Billie lends her performance to a series of anonymised testimonies, embodying the courage and hardship of survivors whose experiences often remain hidden. The campaign aims to broaden public understanding of domestic violence in its less visible forms, while platforming Refuge’s critical support for women facing abuse.

The campaign originated with Billie’s personal dedication to the charity. “Billie was super enthusiastic about doing something for Refuge. So we started from that point. She was willing to give her time, she was excited, and she’s an astonishingly good actress,” explain Lauren and Augustine. Building from this commitment, the team crafted a concept that utilised her talent, to share survivors’ stories in a way that would protect their identities. “It just clicked: Billie Piper could lend her voice to these stories, stepping into each one, inhabiting it, becoming that person for a moment,” says the team.

They initially considered a more expansive format, even imagining “100 Billies” to represent the diversity of survivor experiences. However, they decided on a single, impactful film that would focus the message without overstating it.

Unseen Realities

The central goal of course was to broaden public understanding of abuse, emphasising the emotional and physical forms of harm that are often less recognised. “We wanted to show the more unseen, difficult-to-name, insidious kinds of domestic violence,” say Lauren and Augustine. Through this lens, the campaign highlights that abuse can manifest itself in many ways – coercive control, financial restriction, and verbal threats, to name a few – and each form can endanger lives as deeply as physical violence.

In crafting an authentic portrayal, the team consulted directly with survivors, facilitated by Refuge. “It was insightful to listen to how women actually talk about their experiences; the bits of minimising, automatic speech that they use,” note the team. From these exchanges, they developed language and tone for the film that felt true to the survivors’ lived experiences, as if viewers were “on the other side of a call to the helpline.”

Every line was drawn directly from survivor testimonies, adapted only slightly for narrative clarity and anonymity. As Lauren and Augustine point out, “We wanted them all to sound like speech… like women actually telling you their story, out loud.”

The Power of Embodiment

Billie’s task in this project was to work with emotional sensitivity and flexibility, as she inhabited the voices of different survivors, doing so with subtlety and depth. Director Georgi Banks-Davies, who has previously collaborated with Billie, explained how they worked to give each voice a distinct presence. “Billie is a genius. She’s one of the bravest actors I know, so I knew she was going to fully immerse herself into each character.” Having worked together on projects like ‘I Hate Suzie’ and ‘Kaos’, Georgi and Billie relied upon deep trust and familiarity, which allowed them to explore each survivor’s voice with grace and care.

“She has the most amazing range and is able to tap into the whole spectrum of feeling,” Lauren and Augustine tell me. “Her close collaboration with Georgi was crucial to shaping the final visual feeling and performance, ensuring survivors’ stories were told with authenticity.”

The balancing act of sensitivity to the material with a commitment to respectful storytelling was one of the campaign’s key challenges. Lauren and Augustine explain that it was imperative for them to do justice to the stories of survivors – “to tell them in the most accurate, authentic, and emotional way possible.” Bilie’s role as a stand-in for each survivor’s voice naturally protected the identities of those involved without reducing the impact of their harrowing testimonies.

Visually, Georgi made a choice for minimalism, allowing the strength of the stories to come through without the need for embellishment. “I had to be simple. A subject like this can’t be style over substance,” she tells me. Drawing inspiration from actors’ rehearsal spaces – often plain and stripped down – Georgi and the director of photography, Patrick Meller, kept the frame close and direct, telling each story without distraction. “These are women who command your attention and should be heard, without being interrupted or manipulated through filmmaking techniques.”

Hard Truths and Resilience

Though the campaign reveals some of the most painful aspects of abuse, the creative team wanted to also convey the resilience of the women and the life-changing role Refuge plays in supporting survivors. “We wanted to show that there is a way out,” say Lauren and Augustine. “It’s not easy, and sometimes takes years, but Refuge is there ,and will always be there.”

Music provided an important bridge in shifting the film toward that note of resilience. “The break in the track works to this effect, with the introduction of the piano for the final segment,” they explain. “It gives a sense of warmth and progress, without compromising on the reality of the situation.”

Survivors who had left abusive relationships shared that while their experiences had lasting effects, they had also begun to rebuild their lives. “They told us they were alright, despite the demons that might always be there with them,” the team recounts. “That felt like a crucial part of the story. That’s what Refuge does – it helps you get through, it helps you to be alright again.”

Expanding Understanding

“We hope that people will have a more capacious understanding of what abuse is, how it shows up, what it looks like,” say Lauren and Augustine. “We need to stop thinking domestic violence is just physical violence.”

In a time when one in three women worldwide face abuse, this campaign asks viewers to expand their understanding and to support Refuge’s work in providing essential services to survivors. By sharing untold stories through Billie’s voice, AMV BBDO and Refuge hope to inspire compassion, awareness, and action.