Aleah, Veracity and House Not Home - From Scenarios 2015
Distributed by Scenarios USA, 80 Hanson Place, Suite 305, Brooklyn, NY 11217; 718-230-5125
Produced by Robert York
Directed by Laurie Collyer (Aleah), Seith Mann (Veracity) and Joshua Butler (House Not Home)
DVD , color, 13, 15, and 20 minutes respectively
High School - General Adult
Education, Gender Identity, Psychology, Sociology
Date Entered: 12/21/2015
Reviewed by LaRoi Lawton, Library & Learning Resources Department, Bronx Community College of the City University of New YorkThis DVD consists of three vignettes, the first called Aleah. Filmed in and around the Pinks Houses located in Brooklyn, a housing complex in New York City where dimly lit stairways and dilapidated conditions create fertile ground for violent crime for everyone living there. With the presence of illegal firearms a dangerous and volatile environment for Aleah and everyone around her sets the stage for tragedy. The second title is called House not Home. Filmed in Cleveland, this vignette follows the life of 17 year old Terran, a gender fluid teen they negotiate their high school dressed as a female and the debates between Terran and their father on their gender identity. The third film is titled Veracity and was filmed in Chicago. The film follows Emanni, a female transfer student who is a lesbian. The film begins with her sitting in a room with a razor blade in her hand, clearly contemplating suicide.
Each of these short vignettes, created by teens, illustrate the contemporary landscape that many young people designated LGBTQ have to walk in order to survive. There is strong language and violent content in two of the films and implied in the last but the message in each is clear and direct: unprotected sex, abusive relationships, gun violence, depression, bullying based on gender orientation is the world in which many of our teens live today. It does not matter the location, race or gender; more needs to be done in helping this population traverse the many landmines that life places in front of them. The pain and agony each of these three individuals is evident. Yet some of the very people who claimed to love them did not. Our schools, communities and parents alike are all accountable. No one entity is to blame but all are responsible.