On Saturday, September 14, the Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival hosted a shorts program in two sessions at the Classic Cinemas Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove. The program consisted of seven short films in the BWiFF 2024 Beyond competition.
Filmmaker Adam Joel, writer/director of The Last Drop, was in attendance to discuss his film after the screening. The film tells the story of a young woman named Sofia (played by Molly Hernandez) who links minds with her boyfriend Anthony (played by Forrest Weber) using a device that lets couples relive shared memories. But when she spots overlooked signs of abuse, she must escape before he can manipulate her memories in his favor.
It’s a science-fiction film and an international campaign designed to reveal the early signs of relationship abuse by taking viewers on a journey through the memories of real survivors. “The story is based on my own personal experiences as a survivor of relationship abuse, as well as dozens of conversations with other survivors and experts,” said writer/director Adam Joel.
The Last Drop aims to show young people, educators, social workers, mental health professionals, policymakers, and community groups what abuse looks like before it turns violent. “It’s like Black Mirror meets Public Service Announcement,” said one of the festival’s programmers. “It’s a very creative story with excellent acting, directing, and editing.”
To make the film as impactful as possible, Joel consulted with dozens of other survivors and an Advisory Board of experts in the fields of abuse prevention, education, and social work, including The One Love Foundation and The Safe & Together Institute. Joel is providing this project as a tool to help educators, advocates, and community groups lead meaningful conversations about relationship safety all across the world.
“There are many forms of abuse, and most survivors only learn the warning signs in hindsight,” said Joel. “Together, we can change that. Abuse thrives in silence — let’s talk about it.”
During the Q&A with the audience after the film concluded on Saturday, Joel referenced a TEDx talk he recently did on relationship safety. For those looking for a deeper dive on this important issue, we encourage you to watch the full presentation to learn more.
Did you miss the screening or want to see the film again? Imbibe Cinema members will get a second opportunity to watch the film from November 25-30 through the Imbibe Cinema mobile app – available to download from the App Store for iOS and Google Pay for Android.
