What do you do when a crime is so traumatic, you think the perpetrator will get away with it? Take justice into your own hands. A father gets his shot to do just that in writer/director Derek Sitter’s Tutu Grande.
The 13-minute short film opens in a darkened room with two men. Jared (Nathan Woodworth) is securely tied to a chair under a single overhead light. The other man (Derek Sitter) comes out of the shadows to exact his revenge. He begins to explain the differences between pain and trauma. Pain is temporary, but trauma lasts forever. For the man in the chair, he caused significant trauma to the other man’s daughter, and now the tables have turned.
“…he caused significant trauma against the other man’s daughter, and now the tables have turned.”
There’s an odd (maybe justifiable) pleasure we get when watching the guilty receive true justice—this eye-for-an-eye-type of justice. Especially in cases of rape and other sexual crimes, the perpetrator often gets away with it, or the prosecution of criminals creates even more trauma to the victim. Though I’ve seen this situation play out in many features and short films, I’m drawn specifically to Sitter’s stirring speech on trauma. It’s clearly stated, and its point is made loud and as clear as only a pissed-off man in a cowboy hat can. It’s all a matter of trading one trauma for another.
Sitter ably keeps that intensity up for the whole of Tutu Grande. Despite being a story we’ve seen before, this is well-acted and has some genuine insights into such actions. This makes the movie an easy recommendation.
"…well-acted and has some genuine insights..."
