An Old Scar: An Empathetic Tale On Trauma Set Against The Swinging Sixties

Plenty shorts have been made on abuse, trauma and healing. But, a few on how the trauma carries the profundity in determining the future course, its generational impact  and the onus of unhealed hurt that becomes a cross to bear not just for the victim but all involved. What makes An Old Scar stand out from the rest in its category, is its intelligent choices in cinematography, colour grading and simple narration. No over-the-top dramatic twists, no gory scenes and very little graphic depiction–a simple, emotional cascading through a conversation between its lead cast.

Veronica (Lyndsey E. Butler), a single mother to an 8-year-old Jesse (Ivan Troy Simonin) sets the tone for the film. A woman dragging along her past, a literal scar that is an evidence to the trauma she has suppressed, and a son whose innate curiosity compels her to eventually confront her past. An Old Scar, all of 19:07-minutes in duration, follows textbook storytelling techniques, relying on visual imagery, a fitting monologue (Jamie Morgan) and well written dialogues that aren’t cloying. The film underscores the importance of maintaining a steady timeline as opposed to jarring jumps between its narrative, a technique often used in films of such subject matters. What it achieves for the film is a clean, immersive experience for its viewer, allowing them to remain a part of Veronica and Jesse’s evolving world. Their emotional bond is captured in the ordinary; the bedtime routine, the day-to-day chores that require them to navigate through the spaces of their lives and house, the punctured silences between them and the measured pauses that Veronica takes when Jesse brings up difficult topics.

Writer-director Rolando Zee, doesn’t waste time for the story to unfold. The pacing is maintained, a fact that earns editor Mebil Rosales his due credit giving the film its necessary punch. As Jesse presses for answers, Veronica is compelled to look at her past, her boyfriend (Harry, played by Adonis E. Williams), the heady relationship that left her with a broken heart and scar, the inevitable meltdown she has with her mother Akila (brilliantly enacted by Gayla Johnson) and the ultimate vestige of that fractured relationship, that grew into little Jesse. While the major part of the screentime is dedicated to Butler and Simonin, Johnson and Williams shine through their minuscule timeline. The casual apathy displayed by Williams sets the tone for the second-half of the film.

Cinematographer Derrick Dos Santos relies on guerilla techniques, framing his characters against the backdrop of retro convertibles, old gas stations to revive the 60s’. The warm tones used throughout the film make the sweltering Californian weather a sensorial experience and the intimate framing and closeups offer the necessary emotional proximity as the characters begin their final confrontation. Also, the composition (Nela Ruiz) is aptly used to make it easier for the audience to understand the film as chapters, a telling sign of it being adapted from the award winning screenplay Simmering.

An Old Scar has much to offer and, so it simply feels like a slice of a featurette. A complex topic that is narrated using the innocence of childhood, the vulnerability of a protective mother and a gaping silence that bruised the individuals involved. Emotional, deep and metaphorical An Old Scar is a story that will be remembered.

Watch An Old Scar Short Film Trailer