REDEMPTION

REDEMPTION is a film about the social anxiety that we teenagers face every single day. We're constantly torn between the social or societal expectations placed upon us and the morality of our actions. After hanging out with a friend earlier that night at a driving range (which we see as a flashback), the young man in the film decides he needs to get alcohol for her to impress her with his maturity. Then, once he goes through with his plan and steals a bottle of vodka, he has these surreal visions of his future. He sees himself lost, wandering through the woods, unable to communicate with his friend anymore. Ultimately, the character's desire to impress his friend prevails over his moral identity, and as he comes back to reality, he smiles and laughs, turns on the car, and drives away with the bottle of vodka. Because the character chose the immoral thing, the ending is very pessimistic toward teenage behavior, but I also believe that the ending is more impactful in this way. Not only did I want to create this film because I thought the story's theme of teenage social anxiety could be relatable, but I've also been very interested in non-linear surrealist storytelling. I was inspired in this way by the series "Station Eleven" because the story is told mostly through flashbacks. The two actors in the film (In order of appearance), Grady Dougherty and Alva Yanowitz have both been good friends of mine for several years. Grady had worked with me on my films in the past, and we talked almost every day, so I knew he would be able to understand the motivations of a character similar to me if I were to cast him. Alva had mentioned to me that she was interested in acting, and because she and Grady were also good friends, I knew that their on-screen chemistry would be very organic. Even though I am sober and have never stolen anything, this hyperbolic situation helped me show people how I feel in an accessible way. This was also my debut narrative short film, which I'm very proud of.