Disfluency

“Disfluency” is the story of Jane, a senior in college who drops out shortly before graduation, after being sexually assaulted at a party. She returns to her family’s home, struggling to remember exactly what happened to her that night and considers how to tell her parents or sister and whether to go to the police. The film presents a raw portrayal of PTSD without the need for graphic scenes of assault. Without seeing anything explicit or even knowing exactly what happened, Jane’s devastation is palpable and enough to make the viewer’s stomach clench. By not depicting the assault itself, the film also rightfully takes away any opportunity the viewer could have had to question the validity of Jane’s trauma. While we see her question whether or not what she experienced was assault, we do not get to make this call. The film is, in this way, not about the assault, but about Jane’s life afterward, where the trauma she experiences is evident. It is decidedly not just about the trauma itself, but about overcoming it and her bravery in moving on with her life, even if she admits to still not being completely okay. This theme extends beyond the typical discussions of consent you might see in films with similar premises. “Disfluency” is not only a gripping and powerful look at the spiderweb of thoughts that can constitute PTSD but a masterclass in many of the feelings of self-doubt survivors face when disclosing. Surely destined to be the next important film to explore sexual assault and its aftermath, the film’s creators sought out significant survivor feedback as well as adjoining educational resources throughout its creation, determined to make an impact in the work to support survivors.