Damn Bro! — VIFF 2017
This film is one of the International Shorts under the title Teen Years: Heaven and Hell, and boy is this one hell for the main character, Marc, a Haitian-American high school student.
Travis Frick (below with myself) is the co-writer and director, who has done a fantastic job of giving us an inside peek at some straight-up bullying with a twist.
One of the things that I loved about the film is how the director has Marc talking to the audience throughout the film. This gives us some insight into how this character is really feeling and what he thinks, using humor to let us in.
Set in New York City, this film is not just about bullying, it is about the injustice that low-income inner city youth suffer when it comes to education. The irony is that both boys in the film, Marc, and the bully (Jadon), are both in the same boat: they cannot afford to go on to college. Marc is attempting to get there by getting good grades and running his side business to save for his tuition. He sells juice, water and candy to students and teachers. Jadon, on the other hand, is a 6'5" basketball player who needs good grades to stay in school and get a scholarship. So Jadon does what anyone is his position would do: intimidates Marc with threats if he doesn’t do his schoolwork for him.
From a psychological perspective, what I liked about the film is we get to see the effects that the pressure has on both boys. Jadon is clearly worried about what his future will be if he doesn’t pass. Meanwhile Marc is experiencing fear, anxiety and sleep problems as a result of his predicament. All feelings that most students feel on a regular basis. Being a teenager is hard; school is often hard; and being poor hoping to get to college is hard. Tough all round.
I hope you get as much out of this film as I did. I particularly enjoyed the surprise ending . . . and you can too as there is one more viewing available during VIFF: Saturday October 7th at 6:45 pm. You can also contact Travis Frick to find out how you can view the film yourself. Enjoy!
