The short film Left centres on a topic that touches millions of souls, and seems endlessly poured over in culture, yet is still deeply misunderstood: psychological and emotional abuse.

Mental health professionals say psychological mistreatment can be every bit as harmful as sexual or physical abuse, yet it can be far more difficult to define or even explain.

Left puts aside the statistics and studies to focus on the visceral reality of abuse and illuminate the human experience.

The film begins with a near universal experience of modern childhood: A boy left in a car while his parent pops into the store to pick something up. When Sam's mom leaves him in the parking lot outside the local strip mall, it's nothing out of the ordinary. But when she fails to return in a few minutes as promised, he's faced with a decision: Disobey and get out to go find her, or wait with no end in sight? It's a simple enough circumstance – the roiling sense of uneasy in a young boy's mind as he tries to grapple with the concept of a dilemma. But the turmoil takes on a whole new tension when a child's choice risks triggering the ire of an abusive parent.

We shoot in August/September with the hope to have post-production complete in time festival submission deadlines this fall. This GoFundMe campaign will be vital to making that important timeline.

With your help, we can make this project happen - and make happen in time for festival season.