Cries Unheard

WOW! This film may only be 26 minutes long, but it packs a punch! By the title, you can guess that it is a tear jerker. Young Karen is bullied in school, as is her only friend in the world, Georgia. And at home, Karen is abused by her mother.

In this film, the adults around her know that she is being abused at home, but no one comes to her rescue, leaving Karen to take matters into her own hands.

This film, in my honest opinion should be shown to all CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) workers in training. Not that CASA has anything to do with this film.

The outstanding performances by both Karen (Taylor Moss) and by Victoria (Shawn I. Chevalier) are both award worthy, honest to God!

I also enjoyed the actor who played Victoria's Landlord, Mr. Ramsey. And that one bully, Holly was a real pistol.

I see this film has not won any awards, which is both shocking to me, but kind of not surprised due to the difficult to watch scenes. When I say difficult to watch scenes, I merely mean that they are extremely emotional and pull at the heart strings especially for anyone who has ever been abused by the ones who are supposed to love and protect them. But the reason for no wins is likely due to festival directors and judges feeling afraid to award a film with such difficult topics, because it seems that in the independent world of filmmaking, everyone wants to favor and praise the films that sugar coat everything and act as if we live in a perfect world where abuse, racism and bullying do not exist.

I'm glad that there are a few filmmakers out there that are not afraid to tackle subjects such as these. Thank you, Dreams Come True Films. Though this one is not a feel-good movie, I still have it in my DVD collection and still watch occasionally. If you ever get the chance to see it, do have your tissues handy and be ready for a good cry!

Domestic violence, bullying and racism are very serious issues. Cries Unheard from Dreams Come True Films takes a raw, heavy handed and unflinching approach to all 3 in under 30 minutes. Sounds impossible yet Candy J Beard makes it look so simple. Couple this with the short attention span of children and you have what I consider a must see for kids. The synopsis she gives this barely scratches the surface. Every parent, teacher or even coach at some point struggles at finding the time or place for those all important discussions. This is sure to do just that. Beyond a teaching tool, this short film is also an emotional roller coaster that is truly moving, thought provoking and frightening for both kids and adults.

Great short film! The film deals with the issue of child abuse. It also tackles the subjects of bullying and racism, albeit at a smaller level. The actress who plays the mother and the actress who plays Karen are incredible! The depiction of abuse feels very, very real and will make you feel the child's pain. I know I was wincing every time Karen was in the film. Some small sound issues, but very well done for a short film with a small budget. Very, very impressed with the actors who play the roles of mother and child. Both are incredible! I will definitely watch to see what both of these actresses do in the future. Also, the music was so good! I think they are original songs. Very, very good!

In my opinion I think Dreams Come True Films is one of the rare independent film companies that never shy away from tackling real life issues.

Their short film Cries Unheard is a great example of them not shying away from real issues that happen. Whether its racism, child abuse or bullying this has such a strong message about standing up for children who don't have a voice.

I will say that Shawn Chevalier who portrayed the abusive mother gave a wonderful performance, as did Taylor Moss who played Karen. As per secondary or supporting actors, props to Morgan Danielle McKervey for doing an outstanding job as the lead bully, Holly.

I applaud the writer for bringing these hard to discuss topics to light. This is definitely a must see film! Just make sure you have some tissues handy as you will need them.