Nigel Lewis Hopes ‘A Rose Between Thorns’ Will Change How Abuse is Reported
Trigger Warning: Rape & Self Harm
Nigel Lewis’ debut feature film reflects on the darkness in society that, when kept hidden, sustains generations of pain and dims the light of our brightest stars.
Photo: A Rose Between Thorns Trailer
A story written to advocate for silenced victims of abuse, A Rose Between Thorns, follows budding dancer Rose (Roberitine Webbe) as she maneuvers high school friendships and her first love, while quietly enduring sexual abuse at the hands of her father.
Antonio (Bernel Huggins) struggles with alcohol addiction and an adversarial relationship with his abusive unemployed alcoholic mother, who he blames for why his older brother is in jail.
Rose’s suffering is a reminder that home is not a safe place for all children. Familial abuse can be exacerbated by recent quarantine orders as children don’t have school and activities as a reprieve from persistent mistreatment. As Rose’s harrowing ordeal unfolds, there’s a compounding effect of hopelessness. Her mother, Roslyn (Judy Dupont), relinquished her responsibilities as a guardian leaving her young sister also vulnerable to the predatory nature of the father. Here Lewis alludes to the prevalence of unreported abuse across the Caribbean that can be in part connected to women who protect abusers to preserve their own financial and lifestyle statuses.
Director Nigel Lewis told Avnish Rajvanshi in a video interview, “We use this medium to highlight that issue. It’s best to showcase it and let people be aware of it...because we try to keep all of it swept under the rug.”
Rose grasps for normalcy outside of the home and puts her energy into preparing for a dance showcase. It becomes harder for her to hide the scars – physical and emotional. Her dance coach Ms. Allen (Janet Johnson), with the help of a friendly police officer, attempts to extract the children from the home. It’s in this event that her mother’s perversion is really revealed.
Meanwhile, Antonio is planning with his brother to fight for Rose’s honour – to a tragic end.
The island’s first local feature makes a statement about familial child abuse while aiming to promote the availability of resources to victims. However limited social services are in developing countries if the intended benefactors aren’t able to access programs, these pervasive issues become a part of a culture of silence.
A UNICEF Report that studied child protection in St. Kitts and Nevis in the early 2000s shows a low level of reporting of child abuse in all forms. The report also outlines an increase in teenage pregnancy, calling out the growing fraction of pregnancies in tender-aged children between 10 and 14-years old.
Often the responsibility of reporting abuse falls on mandatory reporters in institutions, like the film’s Ms. Allen, to advocate for children at risk. The twin islands’ government urged its citizens to report cases of child abuse at an event to promote social development in November of 2020.
How can communities mobilize to protect their most vulnerable citizens from predators they can and cannot see?
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