Disfluency
SafeBAE is excited to announce our latest prevention education partnership with the feature film Disfluency! We have partnered with the filmmakers to bring educational screenings to schools to help elevate education about dating violence among students. Schools can host just the film or the film and some of the cast/creators with prevention experts to lead a panel discussion in conjunction with the screening. Costs vary depending on travel, cast availability, and partnering with neighboring schools. The film will have adjoining resources in prevention programming in both secondary and higher education.
Lead Cast – Libe Barer, Dylan Arnold, Chelsea Alden
Filmmaker – Anna Baumgarten
In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness month, the film will be available for educational screenings in April of 2023. Add your school to the list of locations interested in hosting a screening and panel discussion guests!
Email info@safebae.org with questions!
Film Synopsis
“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.
