Adel's Statement

"Trouble Child" is a seedy slice of the gritty urban underworld of teenage prostitution, a place where greed, pain, and lies are the only constants. Whether the reason young girls get tangled up in the sex trade stems from abuse, brainwashing, or fear, it doesn't change the fact that they are living in an insanely dangerous reality, one shared by nearly three million adolescents. Set in the Bronx, this short film shines a dim light on society's need to solve the ever-present and continually growing issue of teenage runaways and homelessness.

Over the years, media that's intended for adolescent consumption has been steadily increasing its amount of sex and violence. Anytime of the day, a teenager can easily find a reality show that promotes irresponsible or promiscuous behavior for money and prizes, videos filled with rappers in platinum and diamonds pouring champagne on half-naked women, or songs that further glamorize negative stereotypes by putting catchy hooks over dope beats. As a teacher in a school for troubled teens, I see first-hand the harmful impact that the glorification of criminal activity, as well as misogyny, has on my students.

So, instead of showing the glitz of "thug life," I want to show a terribly disgusting world where despite one's valiant attempts at survival, his/her life could still depend on the whim of another person. My intention, with "Trouble Child" is to scare the audience with the harsh and sometimes bloody reality of the world's oldest profession. I want to offer a glimpse into the life of a manipulative girl, Vero, who bit off more than she could chew and fell in love with a man, Trouble, who turned out to be a pimp. Now, she's emotionally trapped in an abusive relationship with Trouble and struggles with the choice of making him happy or running for her life.

Trouble keeps his bevy of beauties in a large one-family home in the wealthy Riverdale section of the Bronx. After being brainwashed, Vero moves in with the four other girls and Celi, his oldest escort. Celi has her own issues trying to run Trouble's business without him discovering that she's stealing from him, biding her time, waiting for the right moment to put her plan in motion.

Trouble Child is a sad, perverse, and violent tragedy that begs to be turned into a feature. It purposely reaches for the ugliness of a world, hoping to prevent our teens from reaching for it themselves.