There’s seems to be some narrative backstory missing from this film, but that’s not what this film is about. It zeroes in on one specific message I’ve rarely seen a film explore so realistically: Committing a loved one to a psych ward is one of the most psychologically damaging, and yet potentially psychologically rewarding, decisions you can ever make. The loved one is usually not grateful for, and is sometimes even hateful of, your decision. Yet you may have saved their lives, and if you hadn’t done it in time, it might have ruined yours. Writer/director Jennie Jarvis captures all of that emotional flux and complexity in a scant 8-minute run time. Sure, the aunt-nephew relationship and preceding events could have been expanded on, but by focusing solely on the emotional weight of that tricky decision, and hammering it home, this short film is able to play upon multiple facets of that pivotal choice and bring them to light: the anguish, the grief, the regret, and even the faint rays of hope.
Those who have experienced a scene like the one that plays out in Committed will probably be able to relate to the scores of whiplash emotions that play across lead actress Jennifer Faith Ward’s expressive face questioning whether she did the right thing while sitting across from her completely catatonic, non-responsive nephew during her visit to see him in the psych ward. Those who have not, might be surprised to learn that sometimes people in a self-destructive spiral are actively ungrateful for someone trying to get them help or even save their life. Committed is a perfect fit for Mental Filmness because it has both relatability and educational value for a topic I rarely see portrayed accurately in film. This one nails it.
Watch Committed for FREE in the virtual festival until 11/3:
https://watch.eventive.org/mentalfilmness2024/play/6702035e87db8a002622348d
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