Scales (Short)
**Seen at the 2022 Renegade Film Festival.
The idea behind Nonie Shiverick’s screenplay for “Scales” is a simple one- sexual assault leaves scars on the people it’s visited upon, which are not simply washed or bandaged away. The way they manifest for Emily (Johanna McGinley), the main character in the film directed by Robbie Barnes, is where the traditional horror comes from. The scariest part, however, is how simply men have a hard time accepting “no” as an answer.
Emily and her best friend go to a party. Her mother warns her not to go anywhere alone, which Emily acknowledges. As the party goes on, they go their separate ways, and Emily starts to hook up with a guy from their class. Then the assault happens, and she is shaken. As she gets ready the next day, she sees scales on her face. Try as she might, they just won’t go away.
The idea of a physical manifestation of trauma in horror is not a new one, but the simple one that Shiverick came up with- something that is just out in the open, for all to see- and Barnes and her team executed is profound, especially when Emily goes out in public. The emotional journey the character goes on is central to the film, though, and it’s heartbreaking to see how things start out, but oddly hopeful where she ends up, realizing that not only is she not alone, but those scars will heal in time. It’s a beautiful film, as well as a painful one.
"Scales" – Short Drama from One Eye Wilde on Vimeo.
