Synopsis:

 

SHARDS is the story of Erin, a ten year old girl and her struggle to relate to her father who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after returning home from war in Iraq. The horrors of war metamorphose into a living parasite that Abraham carries home to his family, perpetuating a cycle of confusion, miscommunication, mistrust and pain.  Erin's determination, survival instinct and ability to empathize enable her to reach her father behind his paralyzing mask of repression and bring about the initial step toward healing for both of them.

 

Directors Preface:

 

Erin’s determination, sensitivity, courage and ability to empathize enable her to reach her father behind his paralyzing mask of estrangement, bringing about the initial step toward healing for both of them.  Her genuine fear for her own safety and struggle for identity, demonstrate the reality that war is not won until the battles at home are resolved.  Stories about war trauma are usually told from a male soldiers point of view in combat, not from a female child's point of view.  Women and children all over the world endure war when their loved one comes home.  Analogous to Erin's manifestation of her fathers distress symptoms, it is my belief that women in particular, retain the sicknesses of society through mental, physical and emotional illnesses.  The economic and political well-being of a society can be gauged by the circumstances, rights and health of the women in it.  I chose specifically not to elucidate the father's war experiences because this story's purpose is to represent Erin's battle.  This piece is meant to appeal to those people whose lives are directly intertwined with survivors of war.

 

Written by Rebecca Grace