Soft

The first half of the film takes place in darkness. Only a lighter and a flickering fluorescent light pierce the black. In these phases of light, we see that we are in a martial arts studio bathroom with Sam (16), his younger brother Leo (13), Sam’s secret crush Rafa (15), and their martial arts coach Novik (27). As the boys smoke, we unravel that Sam has been sexually abused by Coach Novik (a fact which is unbeknownst to Leo and Rafa). As Sam pursues Rafa, he can't seem to untangle himself from Coach Novik. (South by Southwest Film Festival)