My father had selective mutism for the first four years of his life. He lived on a farm with his parents & siblings, who just kept him occupied with chores. They weren’t too concerned about his SM because his physical & cognitive abilities were in excellent order. One evening during dinner, he asked for the potatoes. Everyone was in shock. My Grandma asked if he could speak, he replied ‘yes’. And then she asked why he hadn’t spoken for so long, his response ‘I didn’t have anything to say.’ My father was accepted to almost every Ivy League, full academic scholarships. He chose Oberlin, an excellent non IvyLeaque liberal arts college. He identified with their philosophy. He continued to receive two PhD’s in Economics & Philosophy. Became a professor. His later years were spent drinking & barely speaking. He was a good man but rarely spoke. In a way, his SM continued throughout his life but in bouts. I’m guessing this world was just too depressing for him, he just didn’t have much to say. I miss you Dad, wish we could have had more chats but I love that you were my Dad.
It's so difficult to lose someone but it's even more difficult if there's more that needed to be said. I hope only the very best for you and your family
I was raised in a very loud, abusive home with a narcissistic father. I never developed selective mutism. Instead, I developed an aversion to eye contact. My father would fly into a rage for literally no reason at all and shout at me. He demanded I look in his eyes, from my earliest memories so I'm not sure exactly when it started. All I know is that it affected me well into adulthood and took decades of practice before I was comfortable with most eye contact. I'm nearly 55 now. So, while our defense mechanisms may be different, I understand. I get it.
To be so traumatized that it literally takes your voice away is utterly heartbreaking. But one day your voice will break through the pain, the hurt, the loss, the grief. Because it is YOUR voice and no one else's. Only you can decide when you are ready.
When u witness horrible things and you reach out, you do the right thing but no one steps forth creates silence. But she is now exhausted of watching violence n death, very tired but no longer tired to scream truth . Roar of lion
Her mother had told her to be quiet no matter what. The trauma interrupted her development and memory. She kept following the instruction to keep quiet without knowing why. (Something like that happened to me too.)
Wow, when I heard her say "here" I couldn't help it, I got choked up. What it took for her to say that one simple word--I could feel the fear but also the courage and then the triumph all in that brief scene. This was such a beautiful film.
I also loved that it was just one word - not the speech as performed by the Voices instructor. Growth is slow, especially because of the underlying trauma
Jordan Fan，Prophet of Environment ，范楚漳 ， 環境先知。 Almost one-half (1/4) of the movies 🎥 I watched here on TH-cam which involved car accidents, were due to drivers having eye contact with the passengers with the driver spoke. Having eye contact when drivers talk and drive at the same time have accounted for at least one-third (1/3) of all transportation accidents in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Americas. This are because eye contact will draw your attention from the road, traffic and thoroughfare. We rarely do that in Asian and especially China because we are much more intelligent and superior races and people.。
I taught a boy with selective mutism. I never knew his reason but my instinct told me he had become unable to speak because he couldn’t risk saying anything wrong. He came in to my special needs class, he left the college I taught in with a degree. He was there 7 years. I still feel proud that he left my class talking. Not a lot, but talking and confident in his abilities to succeed. His ultimate achievement was one of the most moving moments of my teaching career. I will never forget him.
That's so sweet that you cared about him so much. I'm sure that had a large part in him being able to open up to speak more and succeed. Caring and skilled teachers are so needed.
I'm 58 ....I have become quiet and no longer go to town. Im in a trauma state. Last year I became the victim of local druggies who entered my life and stole my personal belongings , my new car, broke into my home ten times, vandalized my truck and mower, stole my tools, t-boned me in my jeep. I live in a small town. People know about what's been happening to me . They are cruel, vile and wicked people . Who call themselves Christians. I live on federal land. And, BIA law enforcement is supposed to serve and protect . They don't.
Exactly true. I didnt know there was a medical term for it. Just thought it was childhood trauma that prevented healthy skills of self expression ever developing at a subconcious level
@@trandom2083 It's actually not quite the right term. When speaking about "selective mutism", you usually refer to someone being unable to speak in certain situations while being fully capable of speech in other situations. According to the current state of research, SM is understood to be multifactoral rather than be caused by a specific event in the past and usually starts in early childhood. What is shown in this short movie would fit more like the term of what is called "traumatic mutism". A type when a person stops speaking/communicating in every situation due to a traumatic event they witnessed. It's much more uncommon and can develop at any age. Here the person could have a completely typical life with friends, work, and socializing but then something happens and they change from one day to another. Whereas for people with selective mutism, it's common to feel this way since growing up. There's no before and after.
😢Sending u big healing hugz, God’s abundant love 💕, infinite light and blessings, so sorry for your loss, you are in my thoughts and prayers 🫂🙏💜 God bless and comfort u and your family through your sadness and grief x
Jordan Fan，Prophet of Environment ，范楚漳 ， 環境先知。 Almost one-half (1/4) of the movies 🎥 I watched here on TH-cam which involved car accidents, were due to drivers having eye contact with the passengers with the driver spoke. Having eye contact when drivers talk and drive at the same time have accounted for at least one-third (1/3) of all transportation accidents in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Americas. This are because eye contact will draw your attention from the road, traffic and thoroughfare. We rarely do that in Asian and especially China because we are much more intelligent and superior races and people.。
@@jordanfan5896 Seit wann gibt es Menschenrassen? Das letzte Mal als mein Volk über menschliche Rassen nachdachte, kostete es 6 Millionen Juden das Leben. Überdenke deine Weltanschauung Bruder....
I developed selective mutism in the 7th grade. My home life was filled with violence and unpredictable behaviors. It started as a stutter because I just couldn't function normally anymore. I was then mocked and subjected to my dad's rage because of it. I was a living, breathing example of what an awful human he was. Eventually, I stopped speaking altogether. And I had loved to talk before! My mother hired a speech therapist and would have him come when my father wasn't home. He was so patient and had such a beautiful energy that I began to have hope again. He brought me out of that darkness and allowed me to find my voice again. I still use the methods he taught me when I feel tempted to succumb to the silence again. God bless all those who suffer and all those who help.
I get it. I am terrified to speak in public or in a group...or anyone in with any position of authority...even one on one can be challenging for me. There are more of us out there than I realized...and the reasons for hiding in plain sight is just sad. I hope that you are healing and becoming a happy person. 💝💖💞
I suffered with it most of my adult life and then one day I realized who cares how others perceive you, it really doesn’t matter. Just keep your spoken intentions positive and truthful with all due respect for all. Your soul will glow as you grow 😊
This deserves so much more attention! I've lived with selective mutism my whole life, The story really shows what its like to have it even though not everyone has the same situation as the main character, I was crying from how real this is. My SM has got a lot better in high school today I had a sub teacher and there was another person with the same name as me the person the teacher asked to help her with the names doesn't know me so she asked and I manged to talk, she also said i wasn't here and the one that wasn't there was and i manged to correct her, I would usually stay quite and annoy myself with that later, I'm so proud i manged to do that. I'm sorry for saying that here but i have no one to tell that story to.
You don't need to be sorry, you should be proud of yourself and your achievement, the film had me welling up, but reading what you just wrote made me cry, I am so proud of you and what you achieved I could give you a great big hug, I hope you keep moving forward, I hope you can overcome this issue, thank you so much for sharing this with us, feel free to share more
@@moonxshakti I hope that you are managing to overcome the traumas and still communicating, I also hope that life is treating you better now, good luck
Beautiful film. This resonates deeply with me. I came from a large family with extreme religious trauma and neglect. The demand for obedience lead me to go mute. School was traumatic. I used to tell myself that I just needed to say one word, just say hi to one person, and not being able to and coming home bawling because I couldn't and never knew why. It lead to a life of trauma, abusive relationships and alcohol addiction. I tend to ruminate in my mind words or phrases but its usually jumbled and doesnt make sense. I usually delete things i write or post. I already wrote and deleted this whole thing like 5 times i dont know why 😭
I hope you're doing well & feeling better. I don't know you but for some reason I appreciated your comment. You seem like a kind person - please believe in yourself. I actually thought this short film was very nice & very well done too.
It’s hard to express an emotion into words. I used to (and still sometimes do) rearrange words into ways that are less likely to get negative comments. The world can be scary and vulnerable. But who you are doesn’t lessen because of what some thoughtless person replies. This world is filled with much more anger than peace. You’re strong for fighting the odds ❤️
My niece , abused since she was born, especially by her family, can speak (& even get angry), but is growth-stunted, in all ways, & although many tried to get her out of her home situation, & help her, they were stimmied at every turn………I pray for her, now, in her early 20’s, as she has SO much to learn, from scratch……..
I’ve had selective mutism for as long as I can remember. And, while my situation isn’t exactly the same as the character’s in the movie, it’s still nice the see some representation/awareness spread regarding selective mutism. Really great film.
@@Janinesvideodiaryish In the case of this particular character, she was badly traumatized as a child when she experienced what happened to her mother and was then taken from her by the police and put into the system. And then she was put with a family who didn’t care about her. She stopped talking because it was too emotional for her. Especially when she felt people (unknowingly) were confronting her simply by asking for her name.
@@Janinesvideodiaryish selective mutism sounds like the person is choosing not to talk, but my understanding of it is that they are biologically capable of talking but something, usually a trauma of some kind results in them being unable to talk. It’s an emotional or psychological block. They just can’t talk. Sometimes with therapy they can be helped to talk
Made me cry. My mother took her life. I wasn’t a child but i wasn’t ready for that. I will tell my grandchildren not to judge others because we do not know their possible pain. Excellent short film!
Thanks so much for this film - it has really helped me. I suffered selective mutism for 6 months after my brother died. My father displayed cruel, physically and sexually abusive tendencies towards my sisters and brothers. He was merciless. Fortunately no one died young because of it - but all of my family have physical and mental issues because of it - I myself had psychosis and didn’t speak for 3 years from 2018 - 2021. I started Inner yoga with an amazing kind, compassionate and embodied yoga teacher - Jenny Beeken- who also taught me ancient yogic texts - she saved my life. I am now doing a MSc in mindfulness and have an active yoga career - I am a shiatsu therapist and teach languages. I have now found a trauma therapist who has given me an opportunity to really see what happened to my family. It’s tough but I feel like a lioness- who protects the vulnerable and voiceless. I have started a young women’s group- mentoring talented inspiring young people. I am grateful for all who have helped me. I am grateful for this movie🙏🧘♀️🐝
The very young actor who plays Kennedy as a child moved me the most. I saw my younger self in her expressions and movements, and her presence actually made this story come to life for me. I imagine my abuser seeing this little girl, and doing the things he did, through his eyes, and I am confounded. As a child of course you believe you are the cause of your abuse. The tea party scene made me sob; I would have so many nightmares that my mother would either abandon my family or pass away. Someone made a comment about their Mom enrolling them in speech therapy when their angry father would be out of the home and I thought about a mother’s sadness and strength when they end up married to an abuser with small children, dependent, isolated, traumatized and exhausted. That my mother would die and I’d be left with my father was my greatest fear. I am so impressed by this short film and though it would be tough to think of the right person to share it with, I am going to save it so that I can come back to it when I need to consider that brave little girl that did everything she could to get through a difficult childhood. To grow up, use my voice powerfully, have faith, and help change the law around SA&DV has been one of my greatest achievements❤. I love that this was a story of empowerment - a true triumph of the human spirit.
Wow, I actually want to cry. I’m so proud of her! “Here” yes you are! So many people are silent, I remember when I use to be. I pray many more find their voice! This short film deserves way more attention!!!
Thank you. I never heard about Selective Mutism until my mid 40s (57 now). All I can say is that there are a number of traits that I find very familiar, especially while growing up. My life has been spent often feeling dismissed or invisible. I shared this on my Facebook page. No one has responded so far, so I reacted to it myself. Through the years, there have been pockets of people who do see and hear me. I matter, and so do you. ❤
I’ve heard of mutism in autistic people and deaf people, but never as a trauma response. This film had me crying so much. Especially the end. This film is beautiful. I pray God heals everyone dealing with trauma, in Jesus name. I hope everyone who struggles to speak is given their voice back.
This was a remarkable film that left me shedding some tears. I could see the pain Kennedy was going through, but the horrific experience that she had to endure at such a young age was so traumatic that it kept her from speaking and expressing herself, which was literally heart breaking. It was even more sad when she could have had the chance to go to all of these prestigious colleges, but because of her not being able to speak it obviously interfered with her chances. She was capable of so much, but she was in so much pain and the most important thing she wanted to be able to do was to express how much she missed and loved her mom. The woman that worked with her after theater class was so kind, sweet, and patient and I truly believe that she helped Kennedy break through that wall she had built up around her. It was magic to my ears when she just said "here" at the end when the teacher was taking attendance. Yes, it was only one word, but then that leads to a few more words and then into sentences and so forth. This was a captivating, well written story that really tugged at my heartstrings. I absolutely loved it, and I just wanted to say you did a tremendous job. I'd love to see more of your work in the future and thank you for sharing/uploading this incredible story.
This is one of the best short movies I've ever seen. I hope it will inspire people with selective mutism not to give up and other people to be more supportive
This is amazingly profound on so many levels. And while the subject at hand was selective mutism, there are many ways we as human beings become "mute" as we respond to the traumas and challenges life throws our way. Through our struggles, the greatest accomplishment we can exhibit is to show up and say "here".
I can’t believe I came across this, without knowing what it was about at first, to my surprise, a topic that over 14 years of my daughter’s suffering in silence, there was no one who even recognized it. As a mother, this was a heat break for me to see her, so outgoing and talkative at home, but school, and mostly everywhere else, silence. No one could understand, teachers, family, friends. I worried when I wasn’t with her, cause she couldn’t speak for herself, that something could happen. This is my daughter, head down, couldn’t get the words out, finally we got help from a fantastic doctor who specialized in SM. We had to go out of town, but finally I seen improvement. It was a miracle, when she started talking to people, ordering at restaurants, stores, doctors. I thank God every day for this miracle. I am so proud of her, she has come along way. Now she doesn’t need me for her voice, she has her own, and it is beautiful. Bless others who struggle with this, it is so difficult for others to understand. I’m so happy for her in the movie, many tears, cause I know how painful it can be.
Was excellent. I was hoping for just for a little faith towards the end . That fox hole prayer I once prayed during a traumatic time in my life did come true,, just took years to see it .
From "The King's Speech," a must see, "No one is born with a speech impediment." (Physiological reasons do exist though.) I had 4 years of speech therapy in grade school. I was too young to be able to understand and explain that the reason it was taking me so long; my trauma was still living in the same house with us and fostering another to perpetuate abuse. In the movie after his father dies and his brother abdicated, he is able to overcome with much determination finally as an adult.
touched me deeply. Anyone who's ever had their free speech suppressed, as is common now in modern American society, but has always been present, has my deepest sympathy.
I am not an ardent drama film fan but, this was a good film. Short films can have more power than a feature film. Same with fantasy, horror films.A longer film version of this production would become predictable. The actress as the teacher was great. Low key,honest. Many people who have overcome great difficulties have someone like the teacher in their story. I look forward to more films from this director.
What a beautiful and heart-wrenching short film. If the society watched more short films that are often deep and provide an insight into the human mind and condition I wonder what kind of society we would have than the one consuming commercial films and other junk content.
What an absolutely moving story. All the way through my heart was tense, almost hurting. I feel her pain even now as I try to write my comment. Not being able to write the thoughts, feelings, and intensity of my reaction to my Father's last 20 months of his life since July 7, 1997 has nearly ruined my children and grandchildren's lives and taken a bit of my will to live every single day since then. It shocked me when she spoke, not because she finally did, but for the lack of melodramatic sound that occurred thereafter. I still am processing the huge internal effort required and massive invisible barrier removed within her soul that permitted her to give a vocal response to class roll call. Having accomplished such a feat produced no sound at all, only permission to remain.
Unbelievably good. One of the rare times I haven't FF or played a YT video at 1.5x speed. Incredible acting. Lovely actress. Full marks all of the way around.
We all need to be loved, and in particular small children. A parent's duty is to stand with their child and do the best they can to help their child overcome any problems with their child's development.
@@Portia620 Anitra -- There could be a reason why the adult doesn't gel to one. if you really wanted to help that person you might like to show some kindness and then find out why. Perhaps the affected adult doesn't like the way things are done. At bare minimum, you could reassure the affected person that help is always on hand if ever she changes her mind, and that this is the number she can text me on if she changes her mind.
@@jivanvasant Ardy -- No doubt. But Kennedy lived with her wicked stepmother and wicked step-sister. They could have jumped out of the pages of Cinderella.
Jordan Fan，Prophet of Environment ，范楚漳 ， 環境先知。 Almost one-half (1/4) of the movies 🎥 I watched here on TH-cam which involved car accidents, were due to drivers having eye contact with the passengers with the driver spoke. Having eye contact when drivers talk and drive at the same time have accounted for at least one-third (1/3) of all transportation accidents in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Americas. This are because eye contact will draw your attention from the road, traffic and thoroughfare. We rarely do that in Asian and especially China because we are much more intelligent and superior races and people.。
Yes I cried. There are many forms of this inability to speak and not everyone has the ability to find people who can help. There is inescapable suffering but the important thing is to keep trying to escape it regardless. Use those instincts and skills that kept you alive to persistently attempt to bend reality and force it to make room for your voice. Then you will have a certain peace even if you fail.
I was born with a cleft palate and when a child nobody could understand what I was saying. Phoniatrics improved my speech, but I would still talk with difficulty. High School was pretty bad because of the teasing. Even my "father" would tease me. I finally dropped out of school. Many times I felt like expressing myself, but feel very insecure, even today at almost 70 y/o. Many things I kept (and keep) inside me, many times I was misunderstood. I wonder if autism has similar consequences.
Your share touched my Heart & brought tears of compassion to my eyes as well. You didn't deserve to be treated like that! ...& all too often it seems the deepest wounds (whether intentional or not) can come from family, or those closest.
...just back to make sure this is CLEAR.! (My silly brain!)👀😄 Even NOW, you still don't deserve to be teased or treated poorly!! Sending HUGS & the BEST of wishes to you!🤗💖
This short film is a great accomplishment. What a difficult problem to overcome due to the traumatic event that took place in the past. All the actors played their parts well throughout the film. I appreciate the ending when Kennedy finally developed the courage to speak. I give this film 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'s.
Really well done. As a music teacher, I’ve seen the power of finding your voice, literally and metaphorically. And all the layers that can block it, from parents to relationships and other trauma. This was so well written and totally original. Nice work.
You did a beautiful job with this film. Far more sensitive to the underlying issues than I expected it would be when I first spotted it. (Not because of who you are, but because I deal with a disability due to physical trauma, and I am well-acquainted with how poorly American culture prepares people to address these issues authentically. Which means there is a great need for more films like this -- for all of us, everyone, not least of all the people who are dealing with trauma or injury that makes them stand out as "different" or "strange" from what is considered socially "normal." Everyone in the US of course claims they don't believe in the idea of "normal," really... But the truth is our culture is still pervaded and dominated by this concept. So much so, that most people are completely unaware and unconscious of how their own everyday behavior can increase the sense of isolation and not belonging. And these are feelings that people who are traumatized or different often already tend to carry in a abundance. And when people are made aware that they are unwittingly contributing, they still don't know how to respond authentically most of the time. And this happens because 1) no one has taught them, and 2) the truth is that the situation honestly doesn't "feel normal" to them at all, because of the lack of experience. And that feels embarrassing to many people, so the impulse is to just avoid the situation entirely. And so experience is never gained. It's like being caught in a maze that is a giant mouse trap. This is why films like yours are important, and necessary, for everyone! At the very least it helps people to at least become more aware and familiar with the situations these conditions may create, so that these situations begin to become less confusing and/or threatening. Another difficulty you didn't have time or opportunity to address in this film (understandably), but which needs to be discussed much more openly, is that one of the biggest reasons people lack experience in interacting with those who are different, or who carry the burden of impaired ability, is that our entire social system is geared to keep separate, that is "put away out of sight" people who are seen as problematic to society in some way. And anything that veers away from the already accepted or desirable physical and social norms is considered, consciously or unconsciously, "problematic." That is: requiring special attention and therefore extra energy, costs more in $'s, requires more thought, etc. (I'm talking about the system, and the culture which informs it, here, not any one person. Let's be clear.) The last 7 years have become even harder in this respect because the political climate has made people who are chronically sick, old, poor, disabled, traumatized, or socially "different" into objects of suspicion. All of these attitudes have spread further and become more exaggerated. For example: "People who are disabled are really faking it, and stealing from the system when they really could be working. You could work and support yourself if you just tried harder. Which means you are weak-willed and don't deserve help. Also, if you were more positive and grateful about everything all the time, you could (miraculously, we must note) heal yourself." Therefore, those of us who are not already beating up on ourselves and feeling ashamed (we are subconsciously infected by these socio-political attitudes, too, just like everyone else), on top of whatever pain or trauma we are dealing with, we find we are now also all freeloaders who are guilty until proven innocent. If we are forced into poverty as a consequence of these social attitudes, by things like the tightening and further cutting of social welfare programs (the disabled are always the first to get hit, and the ones who are hit the hardest -- yet we are the last to be mentioned in political discourse, if we are ever mentioned at all)... This causes us to be looked upon with further suspicion and resentment, for that is how we look upon the poor in this country. So we are doubly condemned for a situation that is not of our choosing or making. (And those of us who have no real family, or have family that is unwilling or unable to support us -- and there are many of us in this circumstance -- are being forced into poverty routinely.) On top of that, we are invited to feel ashamed if we try to speak out about this, as I am doing now. We are further ostracized with silence, and/or remarks are made carrying unconscious attitudes similar to these: "You should feel grateful for anything you do receive, no matter if it leaves you buried and trapped so far below the poverty line you can't see your way out under any circumstance. After all, it's really your fault you can't support yourself. You should just be grateful you're not dead." All of these attitudes are held in place in American culture by an underlying philosophy. In the interest of brevity, the root issue is that Americans see the world as composed of separate individuals struggling alone in a ruthless competition to survive in a vicious dog eat dog world where everyone is out to kill you. Americans in general don't know how to live life based on consciously embracing community as family, and we generally believe that such an idea is stupid, naive and foolish when push comes to shove anyway. To ask for help is shameful, because to need help is weakness, and weakness is death. A society based on these philosophical beliefs will always resent the vulnerable, see them as a burden, and secretly wish to be rid of them. None of these attitudes can ever be changed permanently until the underlying philosophy openly revealed, admitted, discussed, and eventually abandoned for a better way: A way that sees and works with Life as the vast, global community of intimately connected and interdependent beings that it actually is. That is why your work with a film like this is so important, not just for those who struggle with this particular traumatic condition, but for all people who struggle with conditions and situations that mark them as different from the average or "norm" within the bell curve of human experience. We say change begins at home, and what is more "at home" than nurturing an expanding sense of community and generating a compassionate desire for inclusiveness. By making a film like this you widen the opportunity to speak openly and discuss what was held in secret before, moving everyone forward toward healing in ways that carry an incalculable potential for a more generous world. All the best to you and your friends -- I hope to see many more films like this from you.
Youre telling me they just cut my f00d stamps 2 more dollars after cutting it 40 a few months ago. Im extremely p00r and im on experimental m3ds that cost $$$ they know. They still cut my damn f00d money. That damn 2 bucks felt like an insult. (It took 10 years for me to get d1sab1lity.) Sorry just venting. Ugh. At least someone gets it. (Hoping by the time they recert me for f00d st4mps all the c0v1d stuff with b3n1fits is done. Thats seemed to have made it worse. All these random cuts werent as often before that.)
Jordan Fan，Prophet of Environment ，范楚漳 ， 環境先知。 Almost one-half (1/4) of the movies 🎥 I watched here on TH-cam which involved car accidents, were due to drivers having eye contact with the passengers with the driver spoke. Having eye contact when drivers talk and drive at the same time have accounted for at least one-third (1/3) of all transportation accidents in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Americas. This are because eye contact will draw your attention from the road, traffic and thoroughfare. We rarely do that in Asian and especially China because we are much more intelligent and superior races and people.。
I can relate to what you said about the maze, and found your idea about American society resenting the vulnerable to be thought-provoking. Being on disability income was the best decision I could make towards being more independent and more recovered. I will say that it took me an entire year to set up, and so I would add, many people who go on disability supports have to go through a lengthy process to prove their need. I hope saying this helps you in some way to feel better about the situation. ❤ Also, there is a serious lack of content for people with disabilities on TH-cam, and if you ever find or create any resources here I would love to check them out. All the best! 🌎 🫂
this was intense , it struck me deep, i can relate to most of it and its true that this can happen . at the end i had this huge lump in my throat and luckily i was alone to release it . Bravo.
I hate but fpr some reason still watch these. I wanna forget I have it lol. I love watching these but hate being reminded Once I had a great day at school. Not sure why I tried to remember. I thought I talked to my friends but I didn't, it really felt like I did. Then I remembered. I had a conversation with them in my head. Each time they asked each other something, I would reply, in my head.
Where I work ,i meet a young boy ,I could see from his body language that he must have gone through some thing bad.as we sat during a break ,I asked him if he has siblings,he said no,I said is your mother alive ?he said no, he continues to tell me what a horrific child hood he had & some more trauma Was added when he was 14 & that he was unable to speak for a long time but therapy helped .he still has the scars all over him ,but ,he is still fighting beautifully 😢😢❤️❤️
A beautiful amazing moving and inspirational movie. So beautifully crafted. Please make more!! What you do, impacts and inspires change, and demands to be looked at and heard, especially for the overlooked, silent, helpless and broken ones👌❤️❤️❤️🐾🐈 thank you I love your work
A volunteer at my old workplace had selective mutism.* Once I dreamed she had spoken to me-a nice voice. I mentioned it to her the next day. She reacted strongly. A few days later she confessed to me: she had started speaking again, so far only with total strangers. Reading to blind people was an easier place to start; she'd signed up to do that at a library. (* I learned that term here, reading comments, after so many years of wondering.) Now, decades later, I see her around town and we chat some. We'll always have that dream bond.
This short make impact in me i never hear about selective mutism ,the way this girl go step by step with the correct sensible people make the difference, thanks for share that,love from Puerto Rico ❤️❤️❤️
Something this devastating and in so many peoples lives,and at the same time barely known to the general public,is tragic.This work hopefully helps change this.All these actors are caring and gifted and deserve high praise.
Extremely good. I'm happy to be a Christian. Jesus hears my words that I don't dare to speak. Only He can heal the emptiness of not beying able to see and speak to persons I miss in my life. And the suffering is deep and goes on since some years. And yes, I blame myself too... Jesus can heal us all. Final healing will come in eternity. Real great video! Shalom.
I find this a wonderful example of the role of the factor (good/bad) luck in people's perceived "success" (such as getting into Yale; she was good enough but as luck had it, her mother had met with a terrible fate as a result of which she continued to keep very quiet without knowing why and it stopped her from getting into Yale). Btw, I too had something like that in my childhood background, an instruction that I had forgotten about but kept adhering to. I found out when I was 49.
Wow. I never even knew SM was a thing! But now I think I know what I’ve had my while life!!!!! Wow. I’m totally blown away. I’ve rarely wanted to speak ever, and have gone to great lengths not to. Preferring to be alone and silent than be forced to speak in the presence of others. I’ve had an extremely traumatic life, so I guess that’s where it stems from, but until watching this I never joined the dots! People have tried to force me to talk my whole life but all that’s done is made it worse. And I just can’t bear being talked AT which nearly all people I’ve ever met have done. So I figure if they don’t want to speak WITH me, then obviously they don’t care about what I have to say, so why speak at all, it’s just a waste of my precious energy. Hope that helps someone out there.
Thank you for making this film available for those of us who never heard of S.M. I feel her struggles to be heard and when she answered- **Here** in role call I felt so proud of her. She's gaining her power back and that's a call for celebration. Bravo 🎉 **Update** I did some google search on S.M, the possible causes - inner reflections to the huge challenges I faced all my life with **communications** - my grandparents raised me without siblings. To them, children (me) were a burden. My only safe place was my room. The only ones I felt good talking to, were my beloved pups and stuffed animals. The root to my "poor communications" skill - SM, took a different turn in grade school. I dreaded every time my name was called when it was my turn to **read** out loud. My hands were always clammy and sweaty. I hated it because I used to always **stutter**. and some of the other kids would tease me for it. 💖💖Warm hugs to all of us struggling with S.M. 💖💖
Sometimes my.head is so crowded with thoughts that I cannot say a word. There is simply too much to say and I don't know how or where to start. At first I used to flee, leave the room, just leave and go and sit somewhere quiet so that the words could recede. As I started coming to terms with all the trauma from my past, the flood of words started to become coherent. They organised themselves and I became able to talk. Thank you for this film. God bless you, Kennedy. You are very brave. You will get there - perhaps sooner than you think. You are already a step ahead of me - not that it's a competition! You've started writing in your journal. I still cannot get that right. Baby steps. Much love.
She had the courage to take the bull by the horns, and embrace any circumstances that would result. She enrolled in a PUBLIC SPEAKING class which, more than any other undergraduate college class, requires a substantial amount of speaking. We can confidently know that we saw the beginning of the character's journey into a world where she most likely learns how to share her thoughts and ideas elegantly. The fact that there was no fanfare whatsoever after her vocal response gives a wonderful "to be continued" feeling to this marvelous short film.
This is a great movie....Now I understand why I have such severe blocks when talking and writing...I wasn't allowed to talk when I was growing up. Thank you. 💕
@@andyclausen5521 I feel you 💔💔💔...and now I am 58 years old and Roman Catholic... I think it's best to stay with people who understand you and who support you. ...even Jesus was rejected while growing up...I imagine that everyone thought that his mother was a prostitute, and that Jesus was illigitimate. He said himself that a prophet isn't honored in his own country....and the leadership of the synagogue rejected him and had him killed.... So, alone, like many of the prophets and apostles in the bible, you are in good company...just like Jesus was. When you heal more, by God's mercy and grace...it's a slow process, and stick with The Word of God...when you heal more...you might be able to take baby steps to speak...maybe a bible verse, or a prayer, or sing a congregational song in church... Catholics have lots of communal songs and biblical readings. That's where I feel the best, there, and with Catholic readings, and with my journal. Get all of those unspoken thoughts and feelings out of you. Remember it's all by God's grace and mercy...you will be surprised what you have locked up inside you you. 🤗😇❤️🩹
All it takes is someone who cares, sees the problem but the passion, to help you work around it until you are ready. Love these short films, they are very telling
Very well done. Well written and acted. Touching story. The breakthrough at the end when she spoke the word "here" was one of those times when you feel so proud and happy you want to cry. I've heard of some who have had selective mutism. Would be difficult to have it.
I’m stimming through the second half of the film because this portrayal of the long term effects of trauma is so accurate. Last year I took three months to daily write out all of the memories. I did not look at anything I wrote. All was sealed into envelopes and put away until 21 days arts the last memories were written out. Then, on the day, I read all of the writing out. Took me all day. After this is was so severely traumatised it took me some weeks to recover. On the 1st January 2024 I felt reborn. I’m living a great life now I am finally free. It took 61 years of dally agony to discover, apply and achieve liberation from the past. It IS POSSIBLE. I’m living proof.
Jordan Fan，Prophet of Environment ，范楚漳 ， 環境先知。 Almost one-half (1/4) of the movies 🎥 I watched here on TH-cam which involved car accidents, were due to drivers having eye contact with the passengers with the driver spoke. Having eye contact when drivers talk and drive at the same time have accounted for at least one-third (1/3) of all transportation accidents in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Americas. This are because eye contact will draw your attention from the road, traffic and thoroughfare. We rarely do that in Asian and especially China because we are much more intelligent and superior races and people.。
I first encountered this short film just a year ago and it brought me to tears watching it... It was that late night I was in the hospital by myself, until 2am, just feeling so much inside me, that was when I got this text message from someone way higher up suddenly and unexpectedly saying they are still awake at this hour as well and thinking of me, knowing I'm still here, which cheered me up and they told me to go home, and I first saw this film then, gave me goosebumps throughout. It encouraged me greatly for some reason, I obediently went home right away after the text message, and this film inspired me to just carry on and delve into work full force the very next day. It's been a tough ride but I made it, and I'll keep making it. "You need to be able to find your voice."
Wooow... I talk very easily... And maybe sometimes a little too much. For me the tsunami of words is my "protection" My wall. I was totally silent when I saw this movie... It touched my heart and soul. (and you won't get me quiet so quickly ;-)) The opposite, but so much recognition. I was in tears. Great actors 🙏❤
Wow! Hadn’t ever thought of journaling as a way to “find your voice”!!! All these *decades* of journaling ..... and it’s felt shallow and trite the last few years, since I no longer needed it for deep psychotherapy.
That was such a heartfelt movie. I was sexually molested when I was 10 years young, naive, overly trusting & innocent & for the longest time, I, too, was afraid to communicate with anyone to tell them what happened to me. I only shared it with my younger sister. I was afraid to say anything because I felt no one would believe me since I was so young. It took me over 15 years to say anything about it to my parents. I understand where Kennedy's fears came from. This was hard to watch until the end when she actually spoke 😊❤! That made me so happy & relieved for her to fight hard for her freedom.
Such a beautiful film. I was hooked from the start. I really enjoyed this film. Kennedy saying 'here' was such a powerful moment. The cast and crew did such an amazing job on this film. Bravo to them
Great teacher- knows when to push, and when to back off, while keeping her student engaged in their "end of the bargain"... and importantly, letting the student know they are care for and loved.
This was such a good film. This is something I've suffered with from 5 years old ( I'm almost 14). I do think its from trauma as I've had been abused severely since 2years old. 😪😪
The best thing about this is it reminds me about other people I've met that are like the teacher. There are some really helpful humans out there that are aware of what people to through and what they need...
My father had selective mutism for the first four years of his life. He lived on a farm with his parents & siblings, who just kept him occupied with chores. They weren’t too concerned about his SM because his physical & cognitive abilities were in excellent order. One evening during dinner, he asked for the potatoes. Everyone was in shock. My Grandma asked if he could speak, he replied ‘yes’. And then she asked why he hadn’t spoken for so long, his response ‘I didn’t have anything to say.’ My father was accepted to almost every Ivy League, full academic scholarships. He chose Oberlin, an excellent non IvyLeaque liberal arts college. He identified with their philosophy. He continued to receive two PhD’s in Economics & Philosophy. Became a professor. His later years were spent drinking & barely speaking. He was a good man but rarely spoke. In a way, his SM continued throughout his life but in bouts. I’m guessing this world was just too depressing for him, he just didn’t have much to say. I miss you Dad, wish we could have had more chats but I love that you were my Dad.
Thanks so much, both stories
It's so difficult to lose someone but it's even more difficult if there's more that needed to be said. I hope only the very best for you and your family
Thanks for sharing this 💜
Felt that one!
Thanks so much for share with us! God bless you all!
I was raised in a very loud, abusive home with a narcissistic father. I never developed selective mutism. Instead, I developed an aversion to eye contact. My father would fly into a rage for literally no reason at all and shout at me. He demanded I look in his eyes, from my earliest memories so I'm not sure exactly when it started. All I know is that it affected me well into adulthood and took decades of practice before I was comfortable with most eye contact. I'm nearly 55 now. So, while our defense mechanisms may be different, I understand. I get it.
Same
To be so traumatized that it literally takes your voice away is utterly heartbreaking. But one day your voice will break through the pain, the hurt, the loss, the grief. Because it is YOUR voice and no one else's. Only you can decide when you are ready.
When u witness horrible things and you reach out, you do the right thing but no one steps forth creates silence. But she is now exhausted of watching violence n death, very tired but no longer tired to scream truth . Roar of lion
Tired of attempted poisonings, tired of falsehood, tired of hits tired of looking over my shoulder . The end for Mike Meyers.
Praying
That one word at the end..... "Here".
Her mother had told her to be quiet no matter what. The trauma interrupted her development and memory. She kept following the instruction to keep quiet without knowing why.
(Something like that happened to me too.)
Trauma leaves us speechless until we’re ready to face it with our words.
After I left the wrong church, I became PTSD, I think by now it is KPTSD because of the corruption in the world
I totally agree with that!
Wow, when I heard her say "here" I couldn't help it, I got choked up. What it took for her to say that one simple word--I could feel the fear but also the courage and then the triumph all in that brief scene. This was such a beautiful film.
So did I. I just learned what this condition is called. Never knew. Wow.
@@7spiritualcompass706 me too--I had never heard of it.
Second that!
I also loved that it was just one word - not the speech as performed by the Voices instructor. Growth is slow, especially because of the underlying trauma
Jordan Fan，Prophet of Environment ，范楚漳 ， 環境先知。
Almost one-half (1/4) of the movies 🎥 I watched here on TH-cam which involved car accidents, were due to drivers having eye contact with the passengers with the driver spoke. Having eye contact when drivers talk and drive at the same time have accounted for at least one-third (1/3) of all transportation accidents in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Americas. This are because eye contact will draw your attention from the road, traffic and thoroughfare. We rarely do that in Asian and especially China because we are much more intelligent and superior races and people.。
I taught a boy with selective mutism. I never knew his reason but my instinct told me he had become unable to speak because he couldn’t risk saying anything wrong. He came in to my special needs class, he left the college I taught in with a degree. He was there 7 years. I still feel proud that he left my class talking. Not a lot, but talking and confident in his abilities to succeed.
His ultimate achievement was one of the most moving moments of my teaching career.
I will never forget him.
That's wonderful 💞
That's so sweet that you cared about him so much. I'm sure that had a large part in him being able to open up to speak more and succeed. Caring and skilled teachers are so needed.
Thank you
🤍🦅Beautiful 🦅🤍
I'm 58 ....I have become quiet and no longer go to town. Im in a trauma state. Last year I became the victim of local druggies who entered my life and stole my personal belongings , my new car, broke into my home ten times, vandalized my truck and mower, stole my tools, t-boned me in my jeep. I live in a small town. People know about what's been happening to me . They are cruel, vile and wicked people . Who call themselves Christians. I live on federal land. And, BIA law enforcement is supposed to serve and protect . They don't.
When a defense mechanism that kept you alive, becomes a prison.
Exactly true. I didnt know there was a medical term for it. Just thought it was childhood trauma that prevented healthy skills of self expression ever developing at a subconcious level
And when breaking out of that prison will be going against the last thing your beloved parent said to you....
This quote is so powerful and so transferable.
@@trandom2083 It's actually not quite the right term. When speaking about "selective mutism", you usually refer to someone being unable to speak in certain situations while being fully capable of speech in other situations. According to the current state of research, SM is understood to be multifactoral rather than be caused by a specific event in the past and usually starts in early childhood.
What is shown in this short movie would fit more like the term of what is called "traumatic mutism". A type when a person stops speaking/communicating in every situation due to a traumatic event they witnessed. It's much more uncommon and can develop at any age. Here the person could have a completely typical life with friends, work, and socializing but then something happens and they change from one day to another.
Whereas for people with selective mutism, it's common to feel this way since growing up. There's no before and after.
For most people that is called addiction.
Lost my father this week. Neither of us were big talkers .
“I miss your silence, because I knew you could hear me”
Hit me so hard
😢Sending u big healing hugz, God’s abundant love 💕, infinite light and blessings, so sorry for your loss, you are in my thoughts and prayers 🫂🙏💜 God bless and comfort u and your family through your sadness and grief x
Jordan Fan，Prophet of Environment ，范楚漳 ， 環境先知。
Almost one-half (1/4) of the movies 🎥 I watched here on TH-cam which involved car accidents, were due to drivers having eye contact with the passengers with the driver spoke. Having eye contact when drivers talk and drive at the same time have accounted for at least one-third (1/3) of all transportation accidents in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Americas. This are because eye contact will draw your attention from the road, traffic and thoroughfare. We rarely do that in Asian and especially China because we are much more intelligent and superior races and people.。
I’m so sorry. God bless you and I hope you’re doing okay ❤.
@@jordanfan5896 Seit wann gibt es Menschenrassen? Das letzte Mal als mein Volk über menschliche Rassen nachdachte, kostete es 6 Millionen Juden das Leben. Überdenke deine Weltanschauung Bruder....
I developed selective mutism in the 7th grade. My home life was filled with violence and unpredictable behaviors. It started as a stutter because I just couldn't function normally anymore. I was then mocked and subjected to my dad's rage because of it. I was a living, breathing example of what an awful human he was. Eventually, I stopped speaking altogether. And I had loved to talk before! My mother hired a speech therapist and would have him come when my father wasn't home. He was so patient and had such a beautiful energy that I began to have hope again. He brought me out of that darkness and allowed me to find my voice again. I still use the methods he taught me when I feel tempted to succumb to the silence again. God bless all those who suffer and all those who help.
I get it. I am terrified to speak in public or in a group...or anyone in with any position of authority...even one on one can be challenging for me. There are more of us out there than I realized...and the reasons for hiding in plain sight is just sad. I hope that you are healing and becoming a happy person. 💝💖💞
🥰😍😘
I suffered with it most of my adult life and then one day I realized who cares how others perceive you, it really doesn’t matter.
Just keep your spoken intentions positive and truthful with all due respect for all.
Your soul will glow as you grow 😊
Sarah could you please share what kinds of methods your speech therapist taught you and how to utilize those skills when you want to shut down.
What a beautiful being you are. Thank you for sharing your story.
This deserves so much more attention! I've lived with selective mutism my whole life, The story really shows what its like to have it even though not everyone has the same situation as the main character, I was crying from how real this is. My SM has got a lot better in high school today I had a sub teacher and there was another person with the same name as me the person the teacher asked to help her with the names doesn't know me so she asked and I manged to talk, she also said i wasn't here and the one that wasn't there was and i manged to correct her, I would usually stay quite and annoy myself with that later, I'm so proud i manged to do that. I'm sorry for saying that here but i have no one to tell that story to.
i know this was long ago but im so proud of you!!
You don't need to be sorry, you should be proud of yourself and your achievement, the film had me welling up, but reading what you just wrote made me cry, I am so proud of you and what you achieved I could give you a great big hug, I hope you keep moving forward, I hope you can overcome this issue, thank you so much for sharing this with us, feel free to share more
well done!
Thank you for sharing, I went through periods of silence after certain traumas
@@moonxshakti I hope that you are managing to overcome the traumas and still communicating, I also hope that life is treating you better now, good luck
Beautiful film. This resonates deeply with me. I came from a large family with extreme religious trauma and neglect. The demand for obedience lead me to go mute. School was traumatic. I used to tell myself that I just needed to say one word, just say hi to one person, and not being able to and coming home bawling because I couldn't and never knew why. It lead to a life of trauma, abusive relationships and alcohol addiction. I tend to ruminate in my mind words or phrases but its usually jumbled and doesnt make sense.
I usually delete things i write or post. I already wrote and deleted this whole thing like 5 times i dont know why 😭
❤
I hope you're doing well & feeling better.
I don't know you but for some reason I appreciated your comment.
You seem like a kind person - please believe in yourself.
I actually thought this short film was very nice & very well done too.
I jumble my words i think bc of ptsd i try to remind myself ppl do not know what i have gone through i know sometimes they think im just weird
It’s hard to express an emotion into words. I used to (and still sometimes do) rearrange words into ways that are less likely to get negative comments. The world can be scary and vulnerable. But who you are doesn’t lessen because of what some thoughtless person replies. This world is filled with much more anger than peace. You’re strong for fighting the odds ❤️
The ending gave me incredibly big shivers. It is almost the exact same setting and word i used when i started talking
Here? I think my first word was "mom".
Congrats to you!
Here. Mine was here to a teacher for roll. Every roll was scary.
My niece , abused since she was born, especially by her family, can speak (& even get angry), but is growth-stunted, in all ways, & although many tried to get her out of her home situation, & help her, they were stimmied at every turn………I pray for her, now, in her early 20’s, as she has SO much to learn, from scratch……..
The scene where she was brushing the other girls hair.That made me cry.Great short film!
Away from shaving I love brushing hair but not so it's rough.
I’ve had selective mutism for as long as I can remember. And, while my situation isn’t exactly the same as the character’s in the movie, it’s still nice the see some representation/awareness spread regarding selective mutism.
Really great film.
Thank you!!! That means so much to all of us who've worked on the film. We learned a ton just by creating Hear Me. That's the power of film!
whats selective mustism.
@@Janinesvideodiaryish In the case of this particular character, she was badly traumatized as a child when she experienced what happened to her mother and was then taken from her by the police and put into the system. And then she was put with a family who didn’t care about her. She stopped talking because it was too emotional for her. Especially when she felt people (unknowingly) were confronting her simply by asking for her name.
@@Janinesvideodiaryish selective mutism sounds like the person is choosing not to talk, but my understanding of it is that they are biologically capable of talking but something, usually a trauma of some kind results in them being unable to talk. It’s an emotional or psychological block. They just can’t talk. Sometimes with therapy they can be helped to talk
Great film!
Made me cry.
My mother took her life. I wasn’t a child but i wasn’t ready for that.
I will tell my grandchildren not to judge others because we do not know their possible pain.
Excellent short film!
I’m so sorry ☹️
Thanks so much for this film - it has really helped me. I suffered selective mutism for 6 months after my brother died. My father displayed cruel, physically and sexually abusive tendencies towards my sisters and brothers. He was merciless. Fortunately no one died young because of it - but all of my family have physical and mental issues because of it - I myself had psychosis and didn’t speak for 3 years from 2018 - 2021. I started Inner yoga with an amazing kind, compassionate and embodied yoga teacher - Jenny Beeken- who also taught me ancient yogic texts - she saved my life. I am now doing a MSc in mindfulness and have an active yoga career - I am a shiatsu therapist and teach languages. I have now found a trauma therapist who has given me an opportunity to really see what happened to my family. It’s tough but I feel like a lioness- who protects the vulnerable and voiceless. I have started a young women’s group- mentoring talented inspiring young people. I am grateful for all who have helped me. I am grateful for this movie🙏🧘♀️🐝
❤
The very young actor who plays Kennedy as a child moved me the most. I saw my younger self in her expressions and movements, and her presence actually made this story come to life for me.
I imagine my abuser seeing this little girl, and doing the things he did, through his eyes, and I am confounded. As a child of course you believe you are the cause of your abuse. The tea party scene made me sob; I would have so many nightmares that my mother would either abandon my family or pass away. Someone made a comment about their Mom enrolling them in speech therapy when their angry father would be out of the home and I thought about a mother’s sadness and strength when they end up married to an abuser with small children, dependent, isolated, traumatized and exhausted. That my mother would die and I’d be left with my father was my greatest fear.
I am so impressed by this short film and though it would be tough to think of the right person to share it with, I am going to save it so that I can come back to it when I need to consider that brave little girl that did everything she could to get through a difficult childhood. To grow up, use my voice powerfully, have faith, and help change the law around SA&DV has been one of my greatest achievements❤. I love that this was a story of empowerment - a true triumph of the human spirit.
Wow, I actually want to cry. I’m so proud of her! “Here” yes you are! So many people are silent, I remember when I use to be. I pray many more find their voice! This short film deserves way more attention!!!
Thank you. I never heard about Selective Mutism until my mid 40s (57 now). All I can say is that there are a number of traits that I find very familiar, especially while growing up. My life has been spent often feeling dismissed or invisible. I shared this on my Facebook page. No one has responded so far, so I reacted to it myself. Through the years, there have been pockets of people who do see and hear me. I matter, and so do you. ❤
loads of love and healing hugs to you dear!
you matter. Never doubt how unique you are
You matter greatly. My daughter has SM. She is a teenager….do you have any ideas on how I can best help her?
I’ve heard of mutism in autistic people and deaf people, but never as a trauma response. This film had me crying so much. Especially the end.
This film is beautiful. I pray God heals everyone dealing with trauma, in Jesus name.
I hope everyone who struggles to speak is given their voice back.
How are kids so cruel? Blessed these children who go through this… good short film.
This was a remarkable film that left me shedding some tears. I could see the pain Kennedy was going through, but the horrific experience that she had to endure at such a young age was so traumatic that it kept her from speaking and expressing herself, which was literally heart breaking. It was even more sad when she could have had the chance to go to all of these prestigious colleges, but because of her not being able to speak it obviously interfered with her chances. She was capable of so much, but she was in so much pain and the most important thing she wanted to be able to do was to express how much she missed and loved her mom. The woman that worked with her after theater class was so kind, sweet, and patient and I truly believe that she helped Kennedy break through that wall she had built up around her. It was magic to my ears when she just said "here" at the end when the teacher was taking attendance. Yes, it was only one word, but then that leads to a few more words and then into sentences and so forth. This was a captivating, well written story that really tugged at my heartstrings. I absolutely loved it, and I just wanted to say you did a tremendous job. I'd love to see more of your work in the future and thank you for sharing/uploading this incredible story.
We will be uploading Beta to the channel this week. Thank you for your support!
This is one of the best short movies I've ever seen. I hope it will inspire people with selective mutism not to give up and other people to be more supportive
This is amazingly profound on so many levels. And while the subject at hand was selective mutism, there are many ways we as human beings become "mute" as we respond to the traumas and challenges life throws our way. Through our struggles, the greatest accomplishment we can exhibit is to show up and say "here".
I can’t believe I came across this, without knowing what it was about at first, to my surprise, a topic that over 14 years of my daughter’s suffering in silence, there was no one who even recognized it. As a mother, this was a heat break for me to see her, so outgoing and talkative at home, but school, and mostly everywhere else, silence. No one could understand, teachers, family, friends. I worried when I wasn’t with her, cause she couldn’t speak for herself, that something could happen. This is my daughter, head down, couldn’t get the words out, finally we got help from a fantastic doctor who specialized in SM. We had to go out of town, but finally I seen improvement. It was a miracle, when she started talking to people, ordering at restaurants, stores, doctors. I thank God every day for this miracle. I am so proud of her, she has come along way. Now she doesn’t need me for her voice, she has her own, and it is beautiful. Bless others who struggle with this, it is so difficult for others to understand. I’m so happy for her in the movie, many tears, cause I know how painful it can be.
Was excellent. I was hoping for just for a little faith towards the end . That fox hole prayer I once prayed during a traumatic time in my life did come true,, just took years to see it .
From "The King's Speech," a must see, "No one is born with a speech impediment." (Physiological reasons do exist though.) I had 4 years of speech therapy in grade school. I was too young to be able to understand and explain that the reason it was taking me so long; my trauma was still living in the same house with us and fostering another to perpetuate abuse. In the movie after his father dies and his brother abdicated, he is able to overcome with much determination finally as an adult.
Watching this brought tears to my eye at the end. So much trauma and work she went through.
This is Oscar worthy! Loved every second of it!
What an amazing story. And quite the tear jerker as well. Beautiful.
I watched my younger brother live with SM, and he has been able to overcome so much over time. This short film really brought a new perspective to it.
The film is going along fine, then 2 minutes before it's over BAM!, gets you right in the feels. Well done!
touched me deeply. Anyone who's ever had their free speech suppressed, as is common now in modern American society, but has always been present, has my deepest sympathy.
I am not an ardent drama film fan but, this was a good film. Short films can have more power than a feature film. Same with fantasy, horror films.A longer film version of this production would become predictable. The actress as the teacher was great. Low key,honest. Many people who have overcome great difficulties have someone like the teacher in their story. I look forward to more films from this director.
What a beautiful and heart-wrenching short film. If the society watched more short films that are often deep and provide an insight into the human mind and condition I wonder what kind of society we would have than the one consuming commercial films and other junk content.
What an absolutely moving story. All the way through my heart was tense, almost hurting. I feel her pain even now as I try to write my comment. Not being able to write the thoughts, feelings, and intensity of my reaction to my Father's last 20 months of his life since July 7, 1997 has nearly ruined my children and grandchildren's lives and taken a bit of my will to live every single day since then.
It shocked me when she spoke, not because she finally did, but for the lack of melodramatic sound that occurred thereafter. I still am processing the huge internal effort required and massive invisible barrier removed within her soul that permitted her to give a vocal response to class roll call. Having accomplished such a feat produced no sound at all, only permission to remain.
Wow. “Permission to remain”….wonderfully described.
Maybe there are no words to describe such loss. Just allow yourself to feel it and accept yourself for it
Unbelievably good. One of the rare times I haven't FF or played a YT video at 1.5x speed. Incredible acting. Lovely actress. Full marks all of the way around.
We all need to be loved, and in particular small children. A parent's duty is to stand with their child and do the best they can to help their child overcome any problems with their child's development.
What if they are an adult and need help but push us away? It’s so hard to hell someone that doesn’t want it.
@@Portia620 Anitra -- There could be a reason why the adult doesn't gel to one. if you really wanted to help that person you might like to show some kindness and then find out why. Perhaps the affected adult doesn't like the way things are done. At bare minimum, you could reassure the affected person that help is always on hand if ever she changes her mind, and that this is the number she can text me on if she changes her mind.
Everybody experiences childhood development trauma to some degree, from mild to severe, and it is caused by their parents or parental figures.
@@jivanvasant Ardy -- No doubt. But Kennedy lived with her wicked stepmother and wicked step-sister. They could have jumped out of the pages of Cinderella.
Jordan Fan，Prophet of Environment ，范楚漳 ， 環境先知。
Almost one-half (1/4) of the movies 🎥 I watched here on TH-cam which involved car accidents, were due to drivers having eye contact with the passengers with the driver spoke. Having eye contact when drivers talk and drive at the same time have accounted for at least one-third (1/3) of all transportation accidents in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Americas. This are because eye contact will draw your attention from the road, traffic and thoroughfare. We rarely do that in Asian and especially China because we are much more intelligent and superior races and people.。
Yes I cried. There are many forms of this inability to speak and not everyone has the ability to find people who can help. There is inescapable suffering but the important thing is to keep trying to escape it regardless. Use those instincts and skills that kept you alive to persistently attempt to bend reality and force it to make room for your voice. Then you will have a certain peace even if you fail.
I was born with a cleft palate and when a child nobody could understand what I was saying. Phoniatrics improved my speech, but I would still talk with difficulty. High School was pretty bad because of the teasing. Even my "father" would tease me. I finally dropped out of school. Many times I felt like expressing myself, but feel very insecure, even today at almost 70 y/o. Many things I kept (and keep) inside me, many times I was misunderstood.
I wonder if autism has similar consequences.
Your story has truly touched me. Now I’m crying. I send you heart my friend.
Very kind of you.
Your share touched my Heart & brought tears of compassion to my eyes as well. You didn't deserve to be treated like that! ...& all too often it seems the deepest wounds (whether intentional or not) can come from family, or those closest.
...just back to make sure this is CLEAR.! (My silly brain!)👀😄 Even NOW, you still don't deserve to be teased or treated poorly!! Sending HUGS & the BEST of wishes to you!🤗💖
THANKS for your thpughts...💜
This short film is a great accomplishment. What a difficult problem to overcome due to the traumatic event that took place in the past. All the actors played their parts well throughout the film. I appreciate the ending when Kennedy finally developed the courage to speak. I give this film 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'s.
Really well done. As a music teacher, I’ve seen the power of finding your voice, literally and metaphorically. And all the layers that can block it, from parents to relationships and other trauma. This was so well written and totally original. Nice work.
Well written. Excellently portrayed. It touched my heart like it hasn't been for years.
Nothing as touched me as much as this short film, in a long time. Well done to all involved and thankyou very much. Hare Krishna. 🙏
Hare Krishna 🙇♀️
You did a beautiful job with this film. Far more sensitive to the underlying issues than I expected it would be when I first spotted it. (Not because of who you are, but because I deal with a disability due to physical trauma, and I am well-acquainted with how poorly American culture prepares people to address these issues authentically. Which means there is a great need for more films like this -- for all of us, everyone, not least of all the people who are dealing with trauma or injury that makes them stand out as "different" or "strange" from what is considered socially "normal."
Everyone in the US of course claims they don't believe in the idea of "normal," really... But the truth is our culture is still pervaded and dominated by this concept. So much so, that most people are completely unaware and unconscious of how their own everyday behavior can increase the sense of isolation and not belonging. And these are feelings that people who are traumatized or different often already tend to carry in a abundance. And when people are made aware that they are unwittingly contributing, they still don't know how to respond authentically most of the time. And this happens because 1) no one has taught them, and 2) the truth is that the situation honestly doesn't "feel normal" to them at all, because of the lack of experience. And that feels embarrassing to many people, so the impulse is to just avoid the situation entirely. And so experience is never gained. It's like being caught in a maze that is a giant mouse trap.
This is why films like yours are important, and necessary, for everyone! At the very least it helps people to at least become more aware and familiar with the situations these conditions may create, so that these situations begin to become less confusing and/or threatening.
Another difficulty you didn't have time or opportunity to address in this film (understandably), but which needs to be discussed much more openly, is that one of the biggest reasons people lack experience in interacting with those who are different, or who carry the burden of impaired ability, is that our entire social system is geared to keep separate, that is "put away out of sight" people who are seen as problematic to society in some way. And anything that veers away from the already accepted or desirable physical and social norms is considered, consciously or unconsciously, "problematic." That is: requiring special attention and therefore extra energy, costs more in $'s, requires more thought, etc. (I'm talking about the system, and the culture which informs it, here, not any one person. Let's be clear.)
The last 7 years have become even harder in this respect because the political climate has made people who are chronically sick, old, poor, disabled, traumatized, or socially "different" into objects of suspicion. All of these attitudes have spread further and become more exaggerated. For example: "People who are disabled are really faking it, and stealing from the system when they really could be working. You could work and support yourself if you just tried harder. Which means you are weak-willed and don't deserve help. Also, if you were more positive and grateful about everything all the time, you could (miraculously, we must note) heal yourself."
Therefore, those of us who are not already beating up on ourselves and feeling ashamed (we are subconsciously infected by these socio-political attitudes, too, just like everyone else), on top of whatever pain or trauma we are dealing with, we find we are now also all freeloaders who are guilty until proven innocent. If we are forced into poverty as a consequence of these social attitudes, by things like the tightening and further cutting of social welfare programs (the disabled are always the first to get hit, and the ones who are hit the hardest -- yet we are the last to be mentioned in political discourse, if we are ever mentioned at all)... This causes us to be looked upon with further suspicion and resentment, for that is how we look upon the poor in this country. So we are doubly condemned for a situation that is not of our choosing or making. (And those of us who have no real family, or have family that is unwilling or unable to support us -- and there are many of us in this circumstance -- are being forced into poverty routinely.) On top of that, we are invited to feel ashamed if we try to speak out about this, as I am doing now. We are further ostracized with silence, and/or remarks are made carrying unconscious attitudes similar to these: "You should feel grateful for anything you do receive, no matter if it leaves you buried and trapped so far below the poverty line you can't see your way out under any circumstance. After all, it's really your fault you can't support yourself. You should just be grateful you're not dead."
All of these attitudes are held in place in American culture by an underlying philosophy. In the interest of brevity, the root issue is that Americans see the world as composed of separate individuals struggling alone in a ruthless competition to survive in a vicious dog eat dog world where everyone is out to kill you. Americans in general don't know how to live life based on consciously embracing community as family, and we generally believe that such an idea is stupid, naive and foolish when push comes to shove anyway. To ask for help is shameful, because to need help is weakness, and weakness is death.
A society based on these philosophical beliefs will always resent the vulnerable, see them as a burden, and secretly wish to be rid of them.
None of these attitudes can ever be changed permanently until the underlying philosophy openly revealed, admitted, discussed, and eventually abandoned for a better way: A way that sees and works with Life as the vast, global community of intimately connected and interdependent beings that it actually is.
That is why your work with a film like this is so important, not just for those who struggle with this particular traumatic condition, but for all people who struggle with conditions and situations that mark them as different from the average or "norm" within the bell curve of human experience. We say change begins at home, and what is more "at home" than nurturing an expanding sense of community and generating a compassionate desire for inclusiveness. By making a film like this you widen the opportunity to speak openly and discuss what was held in secret before, moving everyone forward toward healing in ways that carry an incalculable potential for a more generous world.
All the best to you and your friends -- I hope to see many more films like this from you.
Well said and I totally agree that as a culture we need to learn how to acknowledge and validate those who are so often ignored
Youre telling me they just cut my f00d stamps 2 more dollars after cutting it 40 a few months ago. Im extremely p00r and im on experimental m3ds that cost $$$ they know. They still cut my damn f00d money. That damn 2 bucks felt like an insult. (It took 10 years for me to get d1sab1lity.) Sorry just venting. Ugh. At least someone gets it. (Hoping by the time they recert me for f00d st4mps all the c0v1d stuff with b3n1fits is done. Thats seemed to have made it worse. All these random cuts werent as often before that.)
This is eloquently & beautifully written. It is also so true & tragic. I hope there is peace, warmth & happiness ahead for you.
Jordan Fan，Prophet of Environment ，范楚漳 ， 環境先知。
Almost one-half (1/4) of the movies 🎥 I watched here on TH-cam which involved car accidents, were due to drivers having eye contact with the passengers with the driver spoke. Having eye contact when drivers talk and drive at the same time have accounted for at least one-third (1/3) of all transportation accidents in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Americas. This are because eye contact will draw your attention from the road, traffic and thoroughfare. We rarely do that in Asian and especially China because we are much more intelligent and superior races and people.。
I can relate to what you said about the maze, and found your idea about American society resenting the vulnerable to be thought-provoking.
Being on disability income was the best decision I could make towards being more independent and more recovered. I will say that it took me an entire year to set up, and so I would add, many people who go on disability supports have to go through a lengthy process to prove their need. I hope saying this helps you in some way to feel better about the situation. ❤
Also, there is a serious lack of content for people with disabilities on TH-cam, and if you ever find or create any resources here I would love to check them out.
All the best! 🌎 🫂
this was intense , it struck me deep, i can relate to most of it and its true that this can happen . at the end i had this huge lump in my throat and luckily i was alone to release it . Bravo.
I cannot tell you how loud I cheered for her when she spoke in the end! I also cried too omg… amazing masterpiece I love this so much! Keep at it!!
I hate but fpr some reason still watch these. I wanna forget I have it lol. I love watching these but hate being reminded
Once I had a great day at school. Not sure why I tried to remember. I thought I talked to my friends but I didn't, it really felt like I did.
Then I remembered. I had a conversation with them in my head.
Each time they asked each other something, I would reply, in my head.
Oh, I feel that 😔😪
Where I work ,i meet a young boy ,I could see from his body language that he must have gone through some thing bad.as we sat during a break ,I asked him if he has siblings,he said no,I said is your mother alive ?he said no, he continues to tell me what a horrific child hood he had & some more trauma Was added when he was 14 & that he was unable to speak for a long time but therapy helped .he still has the scars all over him ,but ,he is still fighting beautifully 😢😢❤️❤️
A beautiful amazing moving and inspirational movie. So beautifully crafted.
Please make more!!
What you do, impacts and inspires change, and demands to be looked at and heard, especially for the overlooked, silent, helpless and broken ones👌❤️❤️❤️🐾🐈 thank you I love your work
A volunteer at my old workplace had selective mutism.* Once I dreamed she had spoken to me-a nice voice. I mentioned it to her the next day. She reacted strongly. A few days later she confessed to me: she had started speaking again, so far only with total strangers. Reading to blind people was an easier place to start; she'd signed up to do that at a library. (* I learned that term here, reading comments, after so many years of wondering.) Now, decades later, I see her around town and we chat some. We'll always have that dream bond.
This short make impact in me i never hear about selective mutism ,the way this girl go step by step with the correct sensible people make the difference, thanks for share that,love from Puerto Rico ❤️❤️❤️
Kennedy didn't deserve to be kicked out just because she doesn't use her speaking devices
Groundbreaking. Gratitude to everyone working on that project. Thank you
This gave me chills. Absolutely touched my heart. Good for her. Very good for her.
It make me cried, listening her words through her journal..🥺🥺🥺🥺
Me too Karen, I really felt for her
Something this devastating and in so many peoples lives,and at the same time barely known to the general public,is tragic.This work hopefully helps change this.All these actors are caring and gifted and deserve high praise.
Extremely good. I'm happy to be a Christian. Jesus hears my words that I don't dare to speak. Only He can heal the emptiness of not beying able to see and speak to persons I miss in my life. And the suffering is deep and goes on since some years. And yes, I blame myself too... Jesus can heal us all. Final healing will come in eternity. Real great video! Shalom.
The film portrayed the struggle so well. And you are right, the Lord Jesus sees, hears (even the unspoken words) and cares.
I find this a wonderful example of the role of the factor (good/bad) luck in people's perceived "success" (such as getting into Yale; she was good enough but as luck had it, her mother had met with a terrible fate as a result of which she continued to keep very quiet without knowing why and it stopped her from getting into Yale).
Btw, I too had something like that in my childhood background, an instruction that I had forgotten about but kept adhering to. I found out when I was 49.
Every film,drama n songs are EQUALLY GOOD
What a wonderful first word....
Wow. I never even knew SM was a thing! But now I think I know what I’ve had my while life!!!!! Wow. I’m totally blown away.
I’ve rarely wanted to speak ever, and have gone to great lengths not to. Preferring to be alone and silent than be forced to speak in the presence of others.
I’ve had an extremely traumatic life, so I guess that’s where it stems from, but until watching this I never joined the dots!
People have tried to force me to talk my whole life but all that’s done is made it worse.
And I just can’t bear being talked AT which nearly all people I’ve ever met have done.
So I figure if they don’t want to speak WITH me, then obviously they don’t care about what I have to say, so why speak at all, it’s just a waste of my precious energy.
Hope that helps someone out there.
Thanks for sharing!
Andy Clausen, " Switzerland "
Your comment has helped me
Thank you
Helpful ❤
Thank you for making this film available for those of us who never heard of S.M. I feel her struggles to be heard and when she answered- **Here** in role call I felt so proud of her. She's gaining her power back and that's a call for celebration. Bravo 🎉
**Update** I did some google search on S.M, the possible causes - inner reflections to the huge challenges I faced all my life with **communications** - my grandparents raised me without siblings. To them, children (me) were a burden. My only safe place was my room. The only ones I felt good talking to, were my beloved pups and stuffed animals.
The root to my "poor communications" skill - SM, took a different turn in grade school. I dreaded every time my name was called when it was my turn to **read** out loud. My hands were always clammy and sweaty. I hated it because I used to always **stutter**. and some of the other kids would tease me for it. 💖💖Warm hugs to all of us struggling with S.M. 💖💖
Sometimes my.head is so crowded with thoughts that I cannot say a word. There is simply too much to say and I don't know how or where to start. At first I used to flee, leave the room, just leave and go and sit somewhere quiet so that the words could recede. As I started coming to terms with all the trauma from my past, the flood of words started to become coherent. They organised themselves and I became able to talk. Thank you for this film. God bless you, Kennedy. You are very brave. You will get there - perhaps sooner than you think. You are already a step ahead of me - not that it's a competition! You've started writing in your journal. I still cannot get that right. Baby steps. Much love.
She had the courage to take the bull by the horns, and embrace any circumstances that would result. She enrolled in a PUBLIC SPEAKING class which, more than any other undergraduate college class, requires a substantial amount of speaking. We can confidently know that we saw the beginning of the character's journey into a world where she most likely learns how to share her thoughts and ideas elegantly.
The fact that there was no fanfare whatsoever after her vocal response gives a wonderful "to be continued" feeling to this marvelous short film.
Very emotional and well done job!! Great directed and the actress was incredible!!
This is a great movie....Now I understand why I have such severe blocks when talking and writing...I wasn't allowed to talk when I was growing up. Thank you. 💕
All right.
In my country.
I feel no understanding .....
Wrong "churches", .....
@@andyclausen5521 I feel you 💔💔💔...and now I am 58 years old and Roman Catholic... I think it's best to stay with people who understand you and who support you. ...even Jesus was rejected while growing up...I imagine that everyone thought that his mother was a prostitute, and that Jesus was illigitimate. He said himself that a prophet isn't honored in his own country....and the leadership of the synagogue rejected him and had him killed.... So, alone, like many of the prophets and apostles in the bible, you are in good company...just like Jesus was. When you heal more, by God's mercy and grace...it's a slow process, and stick with The Word of God...when you heal more...you might be able to take baby steps to speak...maybe a bible verse, or a prayer, or sing a congregational song in church... Catholics have lots of communal songs and biblical readings. That's where I feel the best, there, and with Catholic readings, and with my journal. Get all of those unspoken thoughts and feelings out of you. Remember it's all by God's grace and mercy...you will be surprised what you have locked up inside you you. 🤗😇❤️🩹
All it takes is someone who cares, sees the problem but the passion, to help you work around it until you are ready. Love these short films, they are very telling
"here".... I love this actres that made me forget she is playing it
I suffer from PTSD and have time periods where I can not speak
I feel with you, greetings from Switzerland
Very well done. Well written and acted. Touching story. The breakthrough at the end when she spoke the word "here" was one of those times when you feel so proud and happy you want to cry. I've heard of some who have had selective mutism. Would be difficult to have it.
What amazing short film I was crying near half of it it was beautifully
I’m stimming through the second half of the film because this portrayal of the long term effects of trauma is so accurate.
Last year I took three months to daily write out all of the memories. I did not look at anything I wrote. All was sealed into envelopes and put away until 21 days arts the last memories were written out.
Then, on the day, I read all of the writing out. Took me all day. After this is was so severely traumatised it took me some weeks to recover.
On the 1st January 2024 I felt reborn. I’m living a great life now I am finally free. It took 61 years of dally agony to discover, apply and achieve liberation from the past. It IS POSSIBLE. I’m living proof.
Beautiful and touching. Amen.
Very beautiful and moving. Brilliant. Thank you
Jordan Fan，Prophet of Environment ，范楚漳 ， 環境先知。
Almost one-half (1/4) of the movies 🎥 I watched here on TH-cam which involved car accidents, were due to drivers having eye contact with the passengers with the driver spoke. Having eye contact when drivers talk and drive at the same time have accounted for at least one-third (1/3) of all transportation accidents in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Americas. This are because eye contact will draw your attention from the road, traffic and thoroughfare. We rarely do that in Asian and especially China because we are much more intelligent and superior races and people.。
I first encountered this short film just a year ago and it brought me to tears watching it... It was that late night I was in the hospital by myself, until 2am, just feeling so much inside me, that was when I got this text message from someone way higher up suddenly and unexpectedly saying they are still awake at this hour as well and thinking of me, knowing I'm still here, which cheered me up and they told me to go home, and I first saw this film then, gave me goosebumps throughout. It encouraged me greatly for some reason, I obediently went home right away after the text message, and this film inspired me to just carry on and delve into work full force the very next day. It's been a tough ride but I made it, and I'll keep making it. "You need to be able to find your voice."
Great film and an example of how to visually tell a story! ❤🎬🎞️
Wooow...
I talk very easily... And maybe sometimes a little too much.
For me the tsunami of words is my "protection" My wall.
I was totally silent when I saw this movie... It touched my heart and soul.
(and you won't get me quiet so quickly ;-))
The opposite, but so much recognition.
I was in tears.
Great actors 🙏❤
Wow! Hadn’t ever thought of journaling as a way to “find your voice”!!! All these *decades* of journaling ..... and it’s felt shallow and trite the last few years, since I no longer needed it for deep psychotherapy.
just finished STORY GIVER - - - OUTSTANDING!!!!!
Powerful, Sensitive, Beautiful
beautiful movie but it is heart breaking how some of us get so traumatized and the trauma stays with us for so long.
El trabajo de la profesora que la guía para la entrevista es maravilloso 🌸
That was such a heartfelt movie. I was sexually molested when I was 10 years young, naive, overly trusting & innocent & for the longest time, I, too, was afraid to communicate with anyone to tell them what happened to me. I only shared it with my younger sister. I was afraid to say anything because I felt no one would believe me since I was so young. It took me over 15 years to say anything about it to my parents. I understand where Kennedy's fears came from. This was hard to watch until the end when she actually spoke 😊❤! That made me so happy & relieved for her to fight hard for her freedom.
Such a beautiful film. I was hooked from the start. I really enjoyed this film. Kennedy saying 'here' was such a powerful moment. The cast and crew did such an amazing job on this film. Bravo to them
breathtaking movie - thank you.
Damn where can I listen to this beautiful score and great film
So powerful. The last 10 seconds. Tears.
This was so excellent! Congratulations!
Great teacher- knows when to push, and when to back off, while keeping her student engaged in their "end of the bargain"... and importantly, letting the student know they are care for and loved.
This was such a good film. This is something I've suffered with from 5 years old ( I'm almost 14). I do think its from trauma as I've had been abused severely since 2years old. 😪😪
I am so sorry to hear what you have gone through. May the Lord surround you with His love and draw your heart near. He cares and there is hope.
❤
Wow. That was incredible.
Hear, here
Finding someone who is kind, caring, and patient can be life saving.
What a sweet film.
Her teacher was amazing, so patient and kind.
The ending gave me the biggest smile. Fantastic short film!
Kevin Turner, whoever you are, you are a genius! Only 7 out of 10 in IMDb is simply a joke. Your movie is wonderful!
Thank you!
This is brilliant!!! Thank you for your art & work. So Amazing!!!
My youngest son is this way. As a parent I must have failed him. Miss him and all my children. Grown up now…….
The best thing about this is it reminds me about other people I've met that are like the teacher. There are some really helpful humans out there that are aware of what people to through and what they need...