Set in a prestigious school, writer-director André Joseph’s Dismissal Time focuses on the various forms of harassment suffered by T.K. (Olivier Feaster), a young African American student. The physical bullying at school turns into cyberbullying when T.K. returns home and sees hateful videos and comments from his classmates on social media. Faced with the dysfunction of the school admins, who prefer to privilege its status by pushing the young man out, his teacher, Vance (Lisa Regina), defends him and starts an investigation of her own to find those responsible.
“…[T.K.] sees hateful videos and comments from his classmates on social media.”
Sadly, inspired by many similar stories, this short film doesn’t shy away from denouncing the political and financial corruption of school principals to protect their schools and continue to receive the best students and financial aid. Although it clearly lacks budget in many respects, the movie does showcase its merit within the narrative’s clear characters and stakes. In her investigation, Professor Vance confronts students and school officials, including Principal Thompson (Troy Still), to press for justice. Even if it costs her own job.
Supported by some good compositions and shots recorded directly on the computer, reminiscent of films like Aneesh Chaganty’s Searching, Dismissal Time tries to bring something unique to the table. Despite clear technical shortcomings in the production, Regina carries the film and its message to the end. No matter how mediocre the technique, it’s clear Joseph wants to bear witness to a situation affecting thousands of students, as evidenced by news clips deploring cases of student harassment during the end credits. For this simple fact, this short deserves to be seen.
"…deserves to be seen."
