In Ben Richardson’s short film, The Session, Ashton (Matta White) steps into her first counseling appointment, fearful that she’s going to screw it up. Her boss and counselor, Dr. Thomas (Veronique Parker), reassures her that she is capable of doing the job.
Nervous beneath a complete lack of confidence, Ashton meets Carmen Morales (Makinley Paige Montez), a twelve-year-old girl who is far more perceptive than Ashton expects. In an earnest attempt to address Carmen’s issues, Ashton compares life to a game of chess, but Carmen does not warm to the analogy, leaving Ashton feeling exposed as a fraud. Ashton keeps pushing through her anxiety, trying to prove she knows what she is doing, but the harder she works to impress Carmen, the more her uncertainty slips through. Ashton walks away defeated.
“Ashton steps into her first counseling appointment, fearful that she’s going to screw it up.”
I’ll be honest. I’ve been there. In a former life, I was a seminary student, and counseling was my most feared class. I was taught all the tools, but there was this lingering anxiety that I was going to screw someone up for life. That’s exactly the idea behind The Session.
What I like most about the short film is the sweet tone in the interaction between Ashton and Carmen. Without spoiling everything, the film explores the idea that our worst failures are only failures in our own minds, and that the rest of the world moves on without even a blip of concern.
Ben Richardson’s The Session is a sweet story about people trying to help others, even when they do not quite know the right words to say. Beneath the awkwardness and anxiety, the film finds warmth in the idea that care, honesty, and initiative still matter.
For more information, visit the The Session official Instagram page.
"…Beneath the awkwardness and anxiety, the film finds warmth in the idea that care, honesty, and initiative still matter."
