From the Indiegogo page:
“Trauma 4 Life” is an independent feature film being made by a visionary group of recent M.F.A. graduates of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. It is a fictional but highly personal story for the writer-director, taking on issues of mental health, drug dependency, traumatic stress, bullying, toxic celebrity culture and gun culture. Its genre can be described as either a dark drama or humanist horror film.
Synopsis – Using the moniker “Trauma,” 19-year-old Trina Tompkins vlogs about PTSD on her Youtube channel “Trauma 4 Life.” Her main reason for living is to protect her 16-year-old sister Chris, who is bullied for having albinism and is addicted to codeine. While streetwalking, Trina witnesses a murder, which sets off a series of traumatic events. Trina is taught how to protect herself from predators and the sisters take on an ill-advised revenge mission.
Director’s Statement:
Between my 4th and 5th USC semesters, I had a lung infection related to Cystic Fibrosis and spent a traumatic month in the hospital. The emergency surgeries, intensive care, opioid dependency, and pressure to recover to return to school gave me newfound purpose. I left the hospital needing to speak about trauma and its stigma, like the lead character in this film. I wrote “Trauma 4 Life” as a cautionary tale about young people who fail to cope when they allow themselves to suffer quietly in the shadows.
