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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
The seventh short film that I got to see at the Tribeca Film Festival this year—and the eighth overall film that I will be covering—is kind of a doozy. Like many other films made in response to the Roe v. Wade case, The Rebirth is merely a synecdoche speaking to the larger issue transpiring in America. (In choosing the term “America” rather than North America or the United States specifically, I mean to target the Westernized socio-economic-political system set into place by a patriarchal atmosphere.) The Americas have not only made life more stressful and tougher for women to navigate. This region of the world has also allowed males to feel prideful and cocky in their positions of power. As an action-drama thriller short, The Rebirth opens the doorway to one consequence of intense body politics. However, my only issue is that it isn’t a sufficiently risky narrative.
The Rebirth is written and directed by producer Connie Shi (Law & Order).
In this review, I will discuss The Rebirth. As this article’s title suggests, no spoilers will be present.
Obscured Pictures’ The Rebirth Logline
According to Obscured Pictures, here is the official logline for Connie Shi’s action-drama thriller short film, The Rebirth.
An overworked waitress takes a black market abortion pill that gives her an unexpected side effect.
Obscured Pictures
Discussion
Shi’s film represents a moment in time for an alternative reality not too far apart from ours. Much of what I can commend about The Rebirth lies in its dark mood, from production designer Aspen Nelson’s set piece of protagonist Hana’s (Shi) “abus[ive]” workplace to gaffer Matt Liang’s not-too-dim lighting techniques. The cracked mirror on the restroom wall suggests that the experience of American womanhood is fragmented. Not every woman shares similar experiences; a fraction of them do partake in the patriarchy. Director of photography Cece Chan manages to capture it all on camera, even if bits and pieces come off as awkward.
For the male characters of the Tribeca short, Shi seems to argue that not “all men are the problem”, but to be wary of them all anyway. A stranger calls Hana names such as “sweetheart” and “honey”—which, in other circumstances, can be endearing—but whose intentions are not uplifting to begin with. To add, the protagonist’s manager (Mickey Breitenstein) is not a good person. That can be a whole different story on its own.
The mythos that Shi attempts to create around an abortion pill is praiseworthy. Yet, I imagine that this narrative is more feasible if treated as a proof-of-concept film. The Rebirth‘s closing scene corroborates this, wherein Hana learns that women with related predicaments across the nation possess a strength that they never knew they had before. On the one hand, this theme is predictable to figure out. However, Shi’s tone in approaching the matter is impressive to an extent.
The Crew Behind The Rebirth
Cece Chan serves as the director of photography. Stephanie B. Chang serves as the stills photographer. Matt Liang serves as the gaffer.
Shi also serves as the editor of the Tribeca short film.
Matthew Tyler serves as the music composer. Hayley Livingston and Andrew Tracy serve as the sound designers/ mixers.
Associate producer Mickey Breitenstein serves as the stunt coordinator.
Victoria Penzes is the visual effects artist.
Aspen Nelson serves as the production designer.
The Cast of The Rebirth
Shi portrays Hana, the Tribeca short’s protagonist.
Kailey Hyman (Terrifier 2, Terrifier 3, Screamboat) portrays Jen Diaz.
Associate producer Mickey Breitenstein (Bloody Axe Wound, ‘Oh, Hi!’) portrays Hana’s manager.
Juan Velasco portrays Javier, a cook at Hana’s work.
Chadwick Sutton plays a bartender.
Producer Stephanie Bonner plays Dani, Hana’s co-worker.
Nick Doolan and Kevin Woods play Man #1 and 2, respectively.
Jason Amerling plays “bro”. Esther Keon plays a woman patron at Hana’s work.
Alyssa Alizor, Ta’mya Allen, Ronald Barshop, Mario Jay Carroll, Claire Jesse Janvier, Rose Lane Sanfilippo, Pablo Ottenwalder, Urvi Patel, and Alexis Watson appear as bar patrons.
Sara Bues, Bethany Dawson, Jamie Effros, Aileen Kyoko, Bethany Lauren James, Michael Leviton, and Garrett Richmond appear as reporters.
Connie Shi’s Character Development and Performance as Hana
The writer-director-producer has a lot on her plate, considering her additional roles as an editor and as an actor. Mainly, Connie Shi understands how to behave as a woman under immense pressure. The food-and-beverage (F&B) workplace establishment, then, is a smart location setting to make this point. Hana’s point of view is normal, in the sense that this common pressuring of women has resulted in the “norm” of current-day lifestyles. The character’s desperation to get rid of whatever is inside leads her to become something else.
The secondhand abortion pill has sharpened her awareness of the room. On a psychological level, on an emotional level, and on a human level overall, I can empathize with her actions, or rather, reactions to the goings-on around her. Shi’s scene towards the end of the short, wherein Hana tries to get everything under control, is decent work. Unfortunately, the actor’s line readings in the process are not to my liking. Still, I believe Hana speaks to the proper demographic despite having little to say at first.
Final Thoughts on Connie Shi’s Tribeca Short, The Rebirth
The Rebirth is not the best short film that I have seen at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, but it is a necessary one. Shi’s title points to a metamorphosis in women, that they are made anew regardless of their losses. The narrative is a reclamation of their bodies, of their well-being, and their lives, and so they get to steer the wheel themselves if they want to. Sure, such a narrative is a standard in storytelling, but again, there is so much more that Shi could say. This is especially true at a time when the world is standing up and protesting against self-centered men. Overall, The Rebirth is at least worth watching just for the filmmaker’s perspective on the matter, which I have come to appreciate a fair amount on a second watch.
4/5 stars
Connie Shi’s The Rebirth is now playing at the Tribeca Film Festival!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
