The Traumatist is a captivatingly spun story of intense catharsis.

As Avery Vaughn goes through the process of “Immersive Retribution Trauma Therapy” the audience is pulled into the past alongside her, forced to relive flashbacks of the most impactful moments in her life. It’s almost impossible not to connect with Avery, her story made so tangible and the results of her trauma evident in every sentence, movement, and glance that she makes throughout her story.

The writer did a fantastic job, constructing an alluring story that makes viewers not want to look away so as not to miss a moment. Anyone who’s been through trauma can deeply connect with Avery and her experience through the realistic flashbacks and poignant emotions she goes through. The feelings of intertwined anger and depression she shows towards her loss of innocence are conveyed fantastically through Amelia Workman’s portrayal of her character Avery.

The filmmaker MIchelle Beck also utilized incredible pacing, starting off slow following the clearly skeptical and reserved main character and accelerating as she flashes from the past to the present during her therapy. The stationary shots employed throughout the first half of the film are abandoned, utilizing dynamic pans and zooms to symbolize Avery’s descending state of mind as she spirals into her past. The tempo builds as the film approaches its final moments and shocks viewers with a twist ending that’s foreshadowed by small details throughout the film for any observant viewers.

The Traumatist – Michelle Beck (Brooklyn, New York) In this psychological thriller, Avery Vaughn, played by Amelia Workman (Anita Tucker, A Thousand and One), searches for retribution and release from her childhood traumas. She enlists the help of Dr. Theodore Hubbell, a questionable character with an unorthodox method of trauma therapy. The “Immersive Retribution Trauma Therapy” program, or IRTT, provides a cathartic release through vengeful and violent reenactments. Starring the talented Robert Picardo (The Doctor, Star Trek Voyager) as Dr. Hubbell, this stirring piece of fiction is told with suspense, passion, and humor. See how one person’s trauma can last generations and the lengths someone will go to make their oppressor pay. 2024; 15 min.

The Traumatist screens with the feature film God Teeth at the Spring 2025 New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, February 7.  The film will be Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 7 PM in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ.

Tickets are available for purchase online: 

The 43rd Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place on select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between January 24-February 21, 2025. The Festival will be a hybrid one as it will be presented online as well as doing in-person screenings at Rutgers University. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VoD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person screenings. Plus, acclaimed singer-songwriter Renee Maskin will be doing an audio-visual concert on Friday, February 21 at 7PM! The in-person screenings and the Renee Maskin concert will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at 5PM or 7PM on their show date. General Admission Ticket=$15 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$120; In-Person Only Student Ticket=$10 Per Program. 

For more info go here.