By Samantha Levine
Paige Tolmach is an extremely brave filmmaker who dives deep into the past of the community she grew up in to uncover haunting stories that lead to multiple suicides. Stories involving pedophilia often showcase that the victims lose their innocence there is no departure from that in this film. Beyond this we also hear from victims and their account of how the experience made them feel at the time and we are also able to see a change in emotion once the story has been brought to the surface. The most chilling aspect of the film is the fact that no one who knew what was going on came forward, people just allowed this to occur. Unfortunately, we see this a lot these days, “innocent” bystanders. This film shows that it is not innocent and can now be punishable by law. Paige’s drive to tell this story and her ability to weave all accounts together is courageous and makes me want to help spread the word that this can happen anywhere. The subjects and storyteller exude bravery and honesty keeping my stomach in knots throughout the film. Despite the horrific stories I was on the edge of my seat and wanted to know what the outcome would be. What Haunts Us is a must see at this year’s Festival.
Read what Deadline had to say about the film!