A Life Changing Moment

A Life Changing Moment

Bruce Von Stiers

“One moment can change everything.” That is the tagline for a short drama film. The title of the film is I Was Gone For Awhile. The film deals with a young girl and a sexual predator.

Claudia is a twelve-year old girl. As she leaves her house to go wander around, her mother calls to her to be careful. The film shows Claudia climbing a tree, gathering a bug in a jar and getting a drink from a water hose.

Then Claudia comes across David, a much older boy. Through a bit of conversation, it is learned that Claudia has been told to stay away from him. She isn't sure why.

They talk some more and then David invites her inside his house to look at something. Again, she isn't supposed to talk to him, let alone go inside David's house.

But she reluctantly agrees. But once inside, Claudia realizes that this is probably a big mistake. She has been warned to stay away from David. And now she understands why.

This film deals with a very sensitive subject. How would you know if the person who Is giving you attention is a sexual predator? When does attention become something beyond what is just uncomfortable? Many men, and some women, have discounted the MeToo movement. But to women, and young girls, who have been subjected to unwanted attention, whether it be through words or actions, know that this is all too real.

Ana Coussirat played Claudia. She co-starred in two other short films, Paramour and Waiting For Deading. Matthew Nimri played David. He starred in the comedy short film Bail!.

The film was produced, written and directed by Sara Gaston. She also played Claudia's mother in the film. She has over fifty screen credits as an actor and was a producer for several films. The film was from Firepoint Films, which is Sara Gaston's production company.

Robert M. Nielson was the director of photography. He has directed films such as Tender Moments and Joe Returns A Video. Joe Grisaffi was the assistant director. He's been a production assistant, done casting for a few films and acted in well over a hundred films.

This project was very personal for Sara. In an interview that Sara did with the Texas Signal, she talks about how the narrative of assault women have endured impacted her. How many times had she felt it was her fault that someone gave her unwanted attention? And what impact does it have on someone, even if the incident was minor?

Although the film isn't very long, it has a very powerful message. A loss of innocence can be as simple as an unwanted touch or a forced kiss. Or it could be something far worse than that. But the person receiving this attention is impacted in ways the perpetrator could never understand or possibly care about.

I Was Gone For Awhile has been making the rounds of film festivals. It has earned a Best Actress in a Mixed Short for Ana Coussirat from the We Regret To Inform You film festival. The film has also been an official selection for festivals such as the New York City Independent Film Festival, the Culver City Film Festival and the Houston Cinema Arts Film Festival.

As the film is finalizing its film festival run, it should have a formal release in the near future.

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