THE RABBIT HOLE, is a dramatic short film centering around two sisters, Mia (15) and Bella (7). At the beginning of the film, we witness the sisters playing a game where they try to guess the next country they want to escape to, Hawaii. We see their strong sisterly bond and see how much Bella looks up to Mia. We sense some underlying tension between them and their Aunt, whom we just know as Aunty. Mia dreams of supporting herself and Bella, but through traumatic imagery, we see the world of sexual exploitation and abuse that Mia is wrapped up in. Although never stated, it’s heavily implied. The film concludes with a disturbing realization that this dark world has seeped into Bella’s life, threatening to shatter her innocent dreams and childhood.

SITUATION

Having done strictly documentary work, the client wanted to branch into narrative storytelling to increase reach with their production company partner. The production company needed to source a director with the proper experience and skills to accomplish this.

BRIEF

The production company approached the directors directly to create a short film highlighting the world of child sex trafficking. The directors were tasked with extensive research into the world of sexual exploitation and abuse. They were then tasked with writing an emotionally compelling short script that accurately portrayed and reflected this world.

OBJECTIVES

Create an accurate depiction of the cycle of child sexual exploitation and abuse in Latin America while simultaneously building empathy with the characters and a strong emotional connection with the viewers. Establish how grooming, exploitation, and abuse function in a web of poverty and trauma, fueled by capitalism.

From the beginning, we knew the edit would feel a bit surreal, but we didn’t want it to feel too fantastic - where it wouldn’t be grounded in some sort of reality. On the first screening, there was no narrative flow to the montage. It was edited purely based on feeling. After the screening, the first audience was confused. We realized that we needed a more structured montage edit, so we worked on recrafting the footage, putting Mia’s journey first, then focused our attention on Bella’s story. We re-tested it with a second group and then the feedback was that it felt too straightforward. There was no thinking or imagination. So, after that second test, we combined some abstract imagery into the narrative structure. And that worked very well with our third testing group. That’s the edit that we ultimately tweaked until we landed on what it is now.

Sex tourism is a global phenomenon, and Latin America is a trending destination for tourists looking to exploit young girls. In a region riddled with teenage, single-parent households, Latin America is a perfect breeding ground for traffickers. The younger a girl is, the more a client will pay. Traffickers target and begin grooming early. As is true all over the world, poverty is a powerful force fueling human trafficking. Traffickers target girls who have needs they can’t meet on their own. They promise them help, and in bait and switch, hand them a life of slavery. When a single teen mom has no way to pay for food, diapers, or a home for her child, traffickers step in. This short film was made with these components in mind and this cultural context influences the audience whether they are aware of the full implications of it or not.