Description
“A young, single mother struggles to make ends meet. Unexpected help comes from the undocumented teen Sofia, who not only saves Crystal’s life, but also makes her question her anti-immigrant sentiment.”
United States, 2019. Presidential elections are near and the political climate is unstable. Crystal, a white, conservative single mother, is rooting for Trump. Working two jobs, she still is unable to afford her diabetic son’s mounting medical bills.
Repeatedly late on rent, her landlord threatens to evict her within three days. Desperate for a solution, Crystal turns to her boss to ask for a loan who offers to help while implying that she sleeps with him in return.
For Crystal, there seems to be no way out. Back in her car, about to begin her late-night shift as a driver, she starts to consider the offer unwillingly when suddenly Sofia, a young Latina, knocks on Crystal’s window in urgent need of a ride. Arrived at the destination, Sofia asks Crystal to wait for her until she returns in exchange for extra cash.
Time passes by and Sofia doesn’t seem to be coming back, Crystal, who wants to receive the money she has been promised, decides to confront Sofia. As she knocks on the door, which was left ajar, she sees Sofia’s handbag on the floor. Hesitant at first, she decides to step inside the house and steal money out of Sofia’s wallet. While she’s at it, a tall man catches her and corners her with a gun. Crystal attempts to flee but the situation gets tenser as he forcefully pushes her even further inside. There, she sees Sofia laying unconscious on the ground. In panic, Crystal tries to escape again but the man aggressively pushes her onto the bed and sexually assaults her.
In the meantime, Sofia regains consciousness. Guided by courage and empathy for Crystal, she takes the man’s gun and manages to fire the single, critical shot to kill the attacker.
After rescuing Crystal, Sofia collects a black bag and both rush to the door. Shaken up from what had just happened Crystal is deeply upset and repeatedly demands that they call the police. It is at this moment when Sofia reveals that she is an undocumented immigrant and will face deportation if they did. Although Crystal feels no sympathy for the desperate Sofia, she decides not to call the police yet. United by the shared shock, the two women open up to one another, revealing their vulnerable sides in an emotional conversation.
Sofia suggests to drive Crystal home and Crystal, who is exhausted, decides to accept the offer. On the road, Crystal gives in to her much-needed sleep. Sofia notices Crystal’s eviction note. The next morning Crystal wakes up in panic. She is alone in the passenger seat of her car. With Sofia nowhere in sight, she notices a black bag next to her, with a note on top of it. The note reads “x, Sofia”. Crystal opens the bag and is surprised to discover that it is full of money. Crystal realizes Sofia has saved her life twice. In that moment, someone knocks on her window. The film ends with a shot of Crystal as she is scrolling down the window of her car, facing her demanding landlord once again.
Director Biography – Yasmine Asha
Yasmine Asha was born in Tehran, Iran. She emigrated to the Netherlands at the age of nine. Coming from a varied background in the arts, including painting, photography and film, she studied Audiovisual Media at the Utrecht School of Arts and graduated in Fine Arts. She has worked on various projects including documentary, short films and music videos. She lives and works as a director in Holland and Germany.
Director Statement
“Trespassers” depicts the story of an unlikely bonding rooted in pain, between two individuals who, on the surface, would seem to be on opposite sides. It highlights the message of human connection being deeper than the superficial differences that divide people.
Project Type:Short
Runtime:29 minutes 58 seconds
Completion Date:September 30, 2019
Production Budget:20,000 USD
Country of Origin:United States
Country of Filming:United States
Language:English
Shooting Format:Digital
Aspect Ratio:16:9
Film Color:Color
First-time Filmmaker:Yes
Student Project:No
