Arts & Culture

Finding the Good in Tragedy: “Father, You Sinned” Premiere

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Aimee Galicia Torres is on a mission to let the world know: Sexual abuse still exists in the Catholic Church. At age 21, Torres has already written and directed her big-screen debut: the semi-autobiographical short film, "Father, You Sinned".

torres_and_mom.jpgThe world premiere of the film was held Thursday night at the AMC theatre at Universal City Walk in Hollywood. A modest crowd gathered around the red carpet where Torres, her mother, and the film?s stars gave interviews and posed for pictures.

"Father…" is a decidedly dark, surreal story of a psychologist who is reliving a childhood trauma in which she has been repeatedly abused by a Catholic priest. While the film itself tends to provoke nausea instead of reflection, it is commendable that such a young filmmaker has tackled such a difficult, personal issue as sexual abuse.

The filmmaker speaks candidly of her own abuse by a priest. "I will have to bear this pain for the rest of my life", Torres said. "Unlike [in] the film, my abuser got off easy".

In the film as well as in Torres’ life, the abused girl suffers the disbelief of her aunt. "[My aunt’s] words haunt me up to this day", Torres said. "She asked me how I could lie about such a thing".

Udo_Stratynski__Aimee_Torre.jpgIn the crowd was Udo Strutynski of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), an activist and abuse survivor. "I’m very positive about the film because it keeps the issue in the public eye", Strutynski said. "We are ever so grateful that these films are being made".

"They’re not really policing themselves", Strutynski said of the Catholic Church. "The Church is letting in priests who they perhaps would not have in the past because no one wants to be a priest. They don’t admit to their mistakes until they are finally confronted with them, and then they don’t get used to the idea that apologizing is the right thing to do".

Before the screening, Torres wore the awestruck expression of a young woman who cannot believe the film?s debut has arrived. "This is a dream come true" Torres said, reading her brief speech from an iBook. "I hope this is the beginning of a lifetime of living my dream".

actresses.jpgThe cast was quite dedicated to the project. ‘We all wore a lot of hats", said lead actress Ellen Felker. "I was involved in pre and post production". Felker hinted that she hoped that the project could one day be expanded into a feature.

Let’s hope not. The cast and the filmmaker gave numerous warnings beforehand of the film?s graphic nature, and they were not kidding.

"Father, You Sinned" is a stylized gore-fest that plays like a horror film, thick with a now-it?s-calm, now-it?s-scary dynamic that leaves the audience jolted and queasy. The film is plagued with one-dimensional characters and expositional dialogue: the protagonist is only sympathetic because of her suffering and the priest is played with about as much subtlety as the big bad wolf.

While Torres’ film lacks subtlety, her theme is clear: abuse is horrifying. "I wrote this film in order to shock the audiences so that they can see how serious it really is", Torres said.

The film’s graphic nature was troubling to many. "I had my eyes closed almost the whole time", said one audience member.

This opinion was not shared by everyone: During a Q&A after the film, Strutynski thanked Torres. "It rang true" he told her. "You made a powerful film".

Torres wrote the screenplay for "Father, You Sinned" while in film school, and was awarded a production grant by Panavision, Inc. Torres plans to enter the film in the Short Film category in the Academy Awards.

"I hope that through this painful experience", Torres said. "I can turn a negative experience into a positive by making a difference and a change in our society".

15% of the film’s proceeds will aid abuse-prevention charities.

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