‘Shattered’ Short Film Review

Synopsis: A woman comes face to face with the man who raped and killed her eight-year-old daughter. How far is she willing to go to get answers from the man who shattered her life?

Like a story ripped from the headlines, Writer/Director Mikel D. Ledesma’s Shattered is a heartbreaking story of murder and revenge. The bond between a parent and child is a powerful force of nature. When a crime is committed against a child, parents and family members experience the worst thing that one can imagine. They feel helpless beyond compare in the face of an unthinkable act.

As a mother myself, I can’t comprehend anything more terrible than to lose my daughter to a senseless killing. We are not supposed to outlive our own children. Most of the time the police solve murder cases and life, though broken forever, will eventually go on. In some situations, however, the police fail to catch the culprit or the sentence does not fit the crime. In those instances, parents feel the need to take justice into their own hands, to avenge their child.

Cast and Crew from Shattered

In Shattered we see the story of Rose Sterling, (Scarlette Martin) a grieving mother who does the unthinkable, after losing her sweet innocent, little girl Lily (Julianna Ochoa) to a horrific act of violence. This film brought out a multitude of emotions in me. I felt horrified, down deep to my soul. I could feel Rose’s anger and hurt as if it was my own. I understood and almost applauded what she was feeling and needing to do, even if part of me, kept saying, no, what if you are wrong?

Reminding me of a horrible case years ago in my neighborhood, where a little girl made the mistake to help a man find his “puppy”, I felt the same heart-wrenching feelings as I did when I saw the photos of the little girl I had seen playing on my street, on the news. Just as her mother had to feel, the same questions of why, why, why, ripped through my brain.

Shattered was strong, right from the very beginning, because I knew exactly what was happening, with very little being said. We see and know that the poor little girl knew what was happening to her. We cringe and ache for her. Actress Scarlette Martin took Rose’s pain to another level as you watch her rage grow, and see the battle within her go from confusion to something completely out of control, as she takes out all her pain on the unfortunate Tom Collins, played superbly by Matthew Roy. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb, by saying that it is unlikely there are many people that can see this film without feeling something very powerful and emotional.

Shattered is beginning the film festival circuit and will undoubtedly receive many awards along the way. If you are interested in seeing the short film, you can get more info on their Facebook Page, IMDb and cinematographer/editor Anthony Gutierrez’s page StickyFeet Studios.