In The Abused, co-directors Alek Gearhart and Manuel Eduardo Ramirez follow a murder investigation that keeps widening until it exposes something far uglier than a simple homicide. The Abused drops into a city where physical torture and murder have become routine, and corruption is the fuel that keeps it going.
Detective Ortega (Mario g Valdez) leads a hardened team that includes Adams (Guy Nardulli), Garcia (Gina Taylor), Stevens (Chris Moss), and Torres (Thomas Haley) as a serial killer’s rampage starts tearing through the community. The deeper Ortega gets into the case, the more his painful buried past is brought to the surface.
As the investigation widens, more names begin to circulate around the case, including Edmund Drake (Gabriel Lane), Paul (Manuel Eduardo Ramirez), Wally (Danny Pardo), Mack (Dominique Marsell), and Heather (Jessica Cameron). In the first half of the film, our team investigates murders based on parental abuse, where the tears of a mother fool everyone. As in most cases, the team arrives just too late, which prompts Detective Ortega to question whether he is making a difference. Garcia, the newest member of the team, gets a crash course in the horrific things adults do to children.
As Ortega and crew get closer to a criminal ring responsible for all the violence, a dirty secret is revealed within his own ranks at the station. It’s just a little too much to stomach.
“…a serial killer’s rampage starts tearing through the community.”
The Abused is an example of why independent film is so important. After a complete blackout on the theatrical hit, Sound of Freedom, the subject of child abuse and human trafficking is a taboo subject for Hollywood. They would never dare to tell the story of a certain island out there. The Abused pulls no punches in depicting the horrific nature of the crime. Right from the start, we learn of the evil and sadistic nature of the ring leader. All this is followed by the grooming nature of his henchmen and henchwomen. It’s sickening to us, but perfectly fun and normal for them.
Then there are those who investigate such crimes. It’s not a job you can just go home to after a hard day’s work and unplug. The images burned in law enforcement’s brains make home life a struggle for even the most faithful. Again, even here, The Abused holds nothing back.
Kudos to the production. The budget is not big, but it has that gritty television crime-show feel. The acting from top to bottom features a top-notch indie cast. Let’s just say the villain actors are having more fun than the good guys/gals. This internal struggle is written all over the cops’ faces along with all the compromises and temptations they are forced to fight off. It’s an all-around solid, gritty thriller that will leave you emotionless at the end.
Alek Gearhart and Manuel Eduardo Ramirez make The Abused hit like a blunt-force warning about the evil hiding behind closed doors and the ambush awaiting you at every door knock. The Abused is ugly, grim, and hard to shake, which is exactly why it lands.
"…a story that pulls no punches."
