‘Gloom’ directed by Jesse Gasca Garcia: Why you need to watch

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in four women and one in nine men will eventually experience some form of domestic violence in their lifetime. It’s a phenomenon that often goes unnoticed until it’s too late. That’s why Jesse Gasca Garcia is trying to shine a light on this issue with his new short, Gloom.

Directed by Garcia and co-written by Graciela Belmontes, Gloom tries to depict an honest take on an abusive relationship, and the battle to escape it. By depicting the struggle of being in such a relationship, it helps women and men in their own abusive relationships find solace in knowing they’re not alone. 

Escaping your abuser

Focusing on Ella, Gloom follows her as she comes to terms that her relationship with her boyfriend Hector is abusive, both physically and mentally. As she grows sick of the lies, Hector’s unfaithful actions ended up ruining Ella’s birthday. With that, she knows it’s time to finally leave Hector and their relationship behind. 

Disturbing behavior left and right

If you’ve never been in an abusive relationship, you may be confused as to why people can’t just leave someone who’s been hurting them. It takes a lot of strength to finally stand up to someone who belittles and makes you feel like less of a human, on top of having to have a getaway plan as well. And if your abuser is violent, you also have to protect yourself. 

Gloom is Garcia and Belmontes trying to show people exactly what goes down in these abusive relationships. They want people to recognize when a relationship turns abusive, and also help those in abusive relationships plan an escape from their abuser. 

But it’s not just about helping educate people. Gloom is designed to give a voice to those in abusive relationships. As Garcia puts it when discussing Gloom, “We see it happen often in our Hispanic community, where men tend to suppress women in so many ways in order to feel superior.” 

Gloom is designed to be intimate and unnerving because people will go their entire lives being in an abusive relationship and not say a word. Both Garcia and Belmontes want Gloom to be used as a tool to help women find their voice and get freedom in their abusive relationships. 

Finding your voice

Garcia has found his own voice, so it’s no surprise he’s using his platform to help give abused women their own voice. After studying film at University of Cal State, Monterey Bay, Garcia started his filmmaking career in Mexico with the short film Curanderismo. 

Coming back to California, Garcia then directed his second short Abet. Taking a break from the director’s chair, Garcia worked on a variety of projects with experts in the business. Once he felt like he grew as a director, he came back to work on Gloom. It shows that he’s grown since the beginning.