Beneath the Scar: A Story Of Resilience is the feature-length debut of director Manoa Raine. The documentary explores the life of screenwriter Deuntay Diggs, who is a police officer by trade, based on his biography of the same name. The film opens with a Good Morning America with Diggs after a video of him dancing during a high school rally on duty goes viral. What is the story behind that level of law enforcement outreach?
Diggs was raised by his mom in Virginia, as she moved back after learning she was pregnant. His life was anything but simple, as at a young age, he was sexually assaulted. Unfortunately, such incidents would be a recurring nightmare for him. At one point, Diggs has the choice of continuing to get abused or let his younger brother fall victim. Since he was already feeling dead inside, he chose to let it continue. The story of how that abused, broken boy becomes this inspirational cop takes up the latter half of the story.
“…the life of screenwriter Deuntay Diggs, who is a police officer by trade…”
Beneath the Scar: A Story Of Resilience interviews a ton of the subject’s family members. Raine talks with Diggs’s grandpa, uncle, aunt, husband, and adoptive mother, among many others. But a lot of the screen time is Diggs discussing all the ills that befell him in the places the incidents happened (when possible). This gives the film a very intimate and personal feel, as the emotional depth and repressed feelings of what happened come across as authentically as possible. It also invites viewers to read the man’s body language and facial expressions to truly understand the anguish all the abuse caused him.
The interviews all offer insight into Diggs as a child or his mother, though admittedly, some of them do get repetitive by the end. Also, the pacing is off a bit. Understandably, there’s a ton of time devoted to the sexual abuse he suffered as a child and his eventually getting into VMI. But from college to the present, things feel a little glossed over. There’s no mention of how he became a school resource officer or why he was dancing.
Beneath the Scar: A Story Of Resilience tells a story that is just that: one of resilience in the face of hopeless odds. As a film, it is mostly well-paced and emphasizes the emotions and arc of finding the light in the darkness. Diggs is a fascinating man whose upbeat spirit is infectious. Most importantly, his outlook on life is something everyone should strive to emulate.
For more information about Beneath the Scar: A Story Of Resilience, visit the Global Digital Releasing site.
"…very intimate and personal..."
