A Short Film & Study Guide On Surviving and Thriving After Trauma
Presented by
A Closer Look is a nonprofit organization with a mission of using a trauma-informed focus to minimize suffering, maximize empathy, and inspire change on health and social justice issues. Their educational outreach programs provide perspective on issues such as trauma, disability, identity, race, heritage, religious persecution and LGBTQ rights. A Closer Look does this through the creation and proliferation of creative media that addresses these issues as well as the organizing of programs and events around the country that address these topics with the help of professionals and affected individuals.
Something Terrible Happened to Joey (STHTJ) is a 12 minute animated film on surviving and thriving after childhood trauma. The film follows Joey, a young boy to whom a terrible thing has happened. One morning after the terrible thing, Joey wakes up to a large bag of coal which he must take with him everywhere. The story recognizes and honors the time and energy it takes to come through trauma. Narrator Rosie Perez after finishing the narration said “You know I’m Joey, too. My life had a difficult beginning and I have always been concerned about helping people through their rough spots just as I have been helped by others. I hope this film will make a difference in people’s lives.” In this she touches on what our organization and filmmaker Joseph Lovett know to be true, that we are all Joey and the sharing of our stories is integral in our development and addressing of our own individual trauma.