A young teenager decides to enjoy a day of fun with her crush only to return home to find her worst fears realized.
Review by Victoria Angelique:
Mental illness is never easy, especially when children are involved as is depicted in the short film ANOTHER SATURDAY. Joyce is forced to care for her mother, reversing the roles of parent and child. She has to make sure her mother gets out of bed, takes her medicine and eats her breakfast.
The actress that portrays Joyce, Scarlett Abinante, does a phenomenal job at showing the burden that caring for her mother has taken on her young body. She is withdrawn from the second she reads her father’s note only to get a moment of childhood joy when her neighbor, Tommy, invites her to play ball. Her remaining childhood innocence never questions why her mother would give permission or why it would be breaking her father’s request to care for Dawn by having fun.
The last of her childhood innocence is ripped from her when Dawn attempts suicide. The scene is shot and edited together beautifully to really throw a gut punch as Joyce is laughing while her mother prepares for death. The audience knows what awaits Joyce, making the scene the emotions that much more heightened.
The biggest theme comes crashing in during the end, after innocence has been stolen. It’s clear that Joyce is now headed down the same road as her mother with a lifetime of mental health battles as she sits down and picks up one of her mom’s cigarettes. Guilt replacing the burden, plunging her straight into her own depression. ANOTHER SATURDAY shows that for this particular family, mental health is a cycle that will continue to repeat until someone chooses to break free and seek help.
Audience Feedback video of film: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-another-saturday
Highlights Female FEEDBACK Film: https://femalefilmfestival.com/2025/04/03/highlights-march-2025-female-filmmakers-festival/
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