A few weeks ago I heard about a short film called "Broken." It was making the rounds at festival circuits and created quite a buzz for director Alex Ferrari. When I learned that the film was available on DVD (you can even get it through Amazon), I jumped at the chance to watch and review it. The film ran only 20 minutes, but I was blown away by the film's style and visual effects wizardry. Needless to say I gave it a well deserved rave review (which you can check out here) and decided that I would keep my eye out for any of Ferrari's future projects to see if he could wow me again. The other day I was fortunate enough to be amongst a chosen few to be allowed a chance to view his newest work, entitled "Daddy's Home." I had no idea going in what I was going to see in terms of plotting, but I felt that I would not be disappointed. How right I was. The short film deals with the subject of domestic violence, showing through the eyes of a child the nightmare that an abusive husband and father can be. It is a heartbreaking piece of film and to say that it affected me deeply would be an understatement.

Here's the kicker though. The film is only 2 minutes long and about half of that is set aside for the credits. Because of its length I cannot, in good conscience, describe to you exactly what happens in the film. The imagery is so powerful that I would rather have you see it for yourself, not knowing what's going to happen, then allow you to sit back and be awestruck the way that I was. I will say that the style of the film, along with the excellent camera work by director of photography Osvaldo Silvera, accurately captures what I imagine a child would see and feel when a monster of a father like this comes home.

I've always been empathetic to the plight of women or children who are abused, but it wasn't until three years ago, when my wife gave birth to a beautiful little girl that I really began to understand how horrible life must be for a child when their parents fight or don’t love them. Every day I read about the hideous things that are done to children, and where I used to just shake my head in disbelief, it now brings tears to my eyes. When I read about a person like Andrea Yates drowning her 5 children or Dena Schlosser cutting off the arms of her infant daughter, I look at my little girl and wonder how anyone could do something so horrifying to someone so innocent. I pray that my daughter never feels the terror that so many children experience.

When I'm dealing with short films and trying to convey the way they make me feel, it can be difficult. Unless you're really 'into' the art of filmmaking, describing the power that a few seconds of image can have is like trying to describe the color 'blue' to a blind person. My words might be able to get the point across, but until you see it for yourself, you cannot know just how it is possible for a filmmaker to elicit such strong emotions from an audience in under 90 minutes, let alone a little less than 2. I had the same problem a few years ago when I reviewed a 9 minute film called "Paranoid" by Jay Holben. Those 9 minutes packed a powerful punch, but explaining to you how was a challenge.

Currently, this new project can only be seen at festivals, but by next year you should be able to see it on the net, and perhaps even on DVD. And I suggest you do. It's a mark of a very talented filmmaker when he can create a level of emotion in a film this short that surpasses that of most full length Hollywood films. With "Daddy's Home", Alex Ferrari has done just that.

Directed by: Alex Ferrari
Starring: Suzanne Kovi, Tom Poole, Lillian del Rio
Studio: Enigma Factory
Release Date: 2007
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.enigmafactory.com
http://www.myspace.com/daddyshomeshort

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:

NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
TTY 1-800787-3224
http://www.ndvh.org

We'll give Daddy's Home an A.