Deprogrammed

Concerned parents take drastic steps to rescue their daughter in writer-director Joshua Nelson’s thriller Deprogrammed. The short gets right to it as a cloth bag is thrown over the head of young Nancy (Noelle Cappuzzo). She’s being kidnapped by a pair of cult deprogrammers named Billy (Matt Agnelli) and Fox (David Reyez Adamez). Shoving her into a van, Nancy is taken to a remote location where the program’s leaders, DeSilva (JC Manuel) and Shakka (Devika Agarwal), wait.

Deprogrammed takes us through the steps of deprogramming Nancy’s mind by wearing down her defenses and reintroducing truth and reality. Nancy’s parents, Bruce (Daniel George) and Irene (Susan Tomaski), are there to re-establish what Nancy knew as her family. Of course, things don’t always go according to plan.

“…kidnapped by a pair of cult deprogrammers…”

Deprogrammed tells an intelligent story revealing the subtle ways facts are altered, words are redefined, and how the “truth” becomes warped. Nelson dives pretty deep into the subject. I’m not an expert on the subject by any means, but the essential elements are there in how a person can be broken down physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Though Nelson lays a good story structure, the film’s weakness is that the filmmaker didn’t have thousands of dollars to produce it. Deprogrammed does come across as a low-budget indie thriller and could have used higher production values, a killer soundtrack, and actors who are a bit more seasoned. Despite its shortcomings, this short thriller is a fun ride.