Review: ‘Scar’ is an Emotionally-Layered Indie About Teenage Cancer that Leaves a Mark on Your Heart

“Scar” is a doleful and tender short written and directed by filmmaker Alison Hale. It’s also about one of the hardest of subjects as a teenage girl (Casey Landman) is diagnosed with cancer (we learn she has lymphoma). At only 18 minutes, the film has a lot of ground to cover emotionally, and does a good job. It also excels at showing how hard this disease is for a teenager, and Landman does a superb job at portraying the ups and downs of being a teenager stuck smack dab in a life-threatening health crisis. Landman’s acting ability—and the film’s source material—may have lent it better to a full-length film; but “Scar” is an impressively well-made and emotional ride for a short that runs at below twenty minutes. 

Dealing with Difficult Material; ‘Scar’ Shines

When we meet the film’s star, Scarlett (Landman), she’s running late with her father (Travis Mitchell). They stop for pizza, and Scar (short for Scarlett) makes a sad face when she drops her pizza. She’s a typical teenager, enjoying life’s pleasures, except she feels something is wrong as she nervously massages her throat. In due time, and after a visit to a doctor (Frank Di Napoli), Scar learns she has lymphoma and is to begin aggressive chemotherapy. An ensuing scene with her friend Olivia (Amna Vegha) in Scar’s bedroom—which the film’s poster mimics—is one of the film’s tenderest sequences. 

What works about “Scar” is the proceedings are believable. It’s the story of a child who is thrust into the throes of adulthood, but all she really wants to do is go back to being a teenager and learning about everything that has to offer. Also believable are the film’s emotions. Scar starts off as a headstrong girl willing to fight her diagnosis but unaware of what it truly means, to a frightened woman terrified of the effects of chemo on her body and what her life could be like, even if she beats this.

Realness of Character Makes the Film

The film has its strong scenes, and wouldn’t have worked without its solid acting. One sequence as Scar’s father mispronounces the names of a bunch of medications she has to take is tension breaking; though we can tell Scar isn’t as amused by this awkwardness as is her father. Mitchell does a great job here; this isn’t the first time he’s  been in a role like this, as shown in the heartbreaking “Partitioned_Heart.” However, a later scene between Scar and her mom (Jennifer Piech; there’s backstory here, but in protecting the film’s plot I won’t discuss it) is one of the tenderest scenes I’ve seen in an indie in quite some time. It holds all the power of the things we would want a parent to say to us as a scared child. At the same time, it works to empower the main character toward continuing her fight. 

But the true star of “Scar” is Landman, who imbues Scarlett with a sense of humor, tenderness, and realness of person that makes the film succeed. Amidst a terrifying diagnosis that has the capacity to make Scar grow up too fast, what works most about Landman’s performance is she allows Scar to act like a teenager. She laughs like one, she cries like one, and she needs her parents—despite thriving for independence—and her performance just works. A scene between her Olivia in a diner shows her desire to just be a kid; but a later scene as she struggles with the effects of chemo is painful because Scar is so real. Landman and Hale make you care for Scar, make you want to reach out and give her a hug as she goes through this—but luckily the film does that for you. 

Casey Landman is a Wonder Throughout

Also great is the film’s cinematography, which uses its short run-time to highlight its themes. It knows when to focus on Landman, who is naturally great, and also when to pull back. Hale (who also does the film’s principal camerawork) basks several of the hardest scenes in near complete dark, and you really get the impression you’re in Scar’s seat; the events are overwhelming and feel like they’re excluding her, which is the way I imagine any child going through a devastating illness must feel at all the adults making life-altering choices for them. 

All-in-all, “Scar” is a great movie. It takes a tough topic that is often overdone in Hollywood and boils it down to its bare essentials. This film, for all its emotion, is not about cancer, but about Scar. A terrific portrayal by Landman, and deferential directing by Hale make this a film that stays with you. The film’s poster alerts that this is based on a true story; and while I was unable to find the source of that story, it’s evident in every frame of a film that wants to make you understand. “Scar” is a high-recommend and, ending on a hopeful note, is one of the sweetest indies I’ve seen in some time. 

“Scar” is currently available to watch via Vimeo. 

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