In Spencer Jay Kim’s short film The Fixed Mark, the missing clue to solving a murder is locked away in a young boy’s seemingly unbelievable memories.
Thirteen-year-old Nathan “Rainn” (Alex Lizzul) stands frozen, staring in horror at a bloodied body. Next thing we know, he’s sitting across the table from Dr. Elias “Eli” Ward (Malek Hanna), a court-ordered forensic psychologist brought in to evaluate him. Rainn spots a note on the table that reads, “You can tell the truth.” Eli lays out the ground rules, the big one being “go slow,” and assures Rainn that he has his best interests at heart.
But just before the session starts, Rainn sees a ghostly figure, who we realize has been leaving notes to help him deal with Eli and the police and to offer encouragement. If that wasn’t strange enough, the Rainn sitting in front of Eli isn’t Rainn of the present, but Rainn from the future. All of this complicates the police investigation into a murder Rainn witnessed.
Dr. Elias “Eli” Ward confers with detectives at the police station in The Fixed Mark.
“…Rainn sees a ghostly figure, who we realize has been leaving notes to help him deal with Eli and the police…”
Writer/director Spencer Jay Kim sees The Fixed Mark as more than a supernatural puzzle. “The mystery is what pulls you into The Fixed Mark, but the human story is what stays with you,” Kim says. His otherworldly tale follows a child carrying immense trauma who needs to be seen. He holds the key to the murder, but he’s easily dismissed when he talks about ghosts and coming from the future.
The Fixed Mark shows that trauma offers no easy answers and explores how truth can lie in the unexplainable. Alex Lizzul gives a fantastic performance as Rainn. He’s forced to shift between different versions of Rainn while keeping the character’s core personality intact. Meanwhile, Kim uses quick editing to keep the audience off guard while slowly revealing the identity and purpose of Rainn’s ghostly companion. The short film uses the power of horror to illuminate human grief and trauma.
"…He holds the key to the murder, but he’s easily dismissed..."
