A woman sits within a circle of petals and candles. The scene is romantic as much as it bodes within it a preternatural quality of a ritual, a seance. A man soon appears before her, and they talk of dreams and secrets, a reality that blurs into dreaminess, and secrets that should have remained hidden and unsaid. 

The presence of the spectral figure not only allows the screenplay to pronounce an otherworldliness within the realm of the film, it further ensures that a beautiful exchange develops between the two actors, a smooth equation of action and reaction. A story of loss and heartbreaking partings comes into existence as the narrative develops. 
 

Within its conciseness, the film evidences a remarkable economy when it comes to its script and storytelling. Two characters occupy a fixed space, and yet, the lean components are utilized judiciously and efficiently to present a completed, balanced whole of a story.

Echo | Short Film Nominee

The year is 1983, but the dynamics of gender and race are not far from our contemporary society. Consequently, when a young woman in East Los Angeles decides to join a neighborhood gang following a traumatic experience, her mother is unable to come to terms with it. Further prodding reveals the true reasons behind this decision, also taking the viewer into a far darker reality. While the film had opened on a seemingly light note of young women applying make-up and helping a friend get ready, the narrative soon acquires a tone of sinister tales marked by monsters and wolves. It further brings in an element of fantasy, the same also finding a visual representation when the big, bad wolf comes out to hunt unsuspecting girls. A reality of sexual assault, gun violence, systemic racism is conjured for the story to drive home its message in a more emphatic manner. As the conversation between the mother and her daughter progresses, we see a Red Riding Hood preparing to brace the cruel world outside, ensuring to muster all her courage and putting together the armor needed for the foray she is about to step into. However, in the closing dialogue of the film lies an important assertion, that wolves continue to prowl fearlessly, even in the most unexpected corners, leaving Red Riding Hoods off guard and in serious jeopardy everywhere.

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