Written and directed by BAFTA nominated Joe Ahearne (“Doctor Who”), The Replacement is a psychological thriller set in Glasgow that examines workplace rivalry, motherhood and the issues that arise from making “the right choice”.

When Ellen, a successful architect in her mid-thirties, falls pregnant, she finds maternity cover in Paula who is brilliant, enthusiastic and raring to go. Paula is ready to return to full time work after taking ten years out to raise her daughter. Ellen champions her, but quickly begins to feel uneasy as Paula has been meeting the client without Ellen and tweaking her designs. And why is she so preoccupied with Ellen’s pregnancy? She seems to think that, as mothers, she and Ellen share some sort of special bond.

As Paula ingratiates herself further with Kay and David – the firm partners and Ellen’s mentors – Ellen’s attitude towards her starts to come across as paranoid and obsessive. Her husband Ian, a psychiatrist, wonders if she might be suffering from antenatal depression. The more Ellen tries to trip Paula up the more she alienates herself from her husband and colleagues…but Ellen is convinced something is not right about Paula. Can her suspicions be explained away as female rivalry and her own insecurity of opting out of work at the top of her game…or do they speak to something deeper?