Gudia - A Stop Motion Short Film

Gudiya is an innovative short film based on the social issue of sexual assault and violence created by the students under the guidance of faculty members of multimedia Lovely Professional University. Every year in India hundreds of rape victims or their family members commit suicide due to pressure from the society.This short movie has been created to aware people about the suffering the victim of sexual assault goes through and ending ones life is not the right way to end that suffering. The medium of the short film is clay animation stop motion. The main character’s name is Gudiya. The story revolves around the girl and her family. While most of the other short films emphasize violence alone, this short film highlights the social pressure on the family life after the incident. The incident happens on the way after the girl leaves for school. She misjudges unsafe situations as safe. The story continuous, as girl Gudiya is brought home from the hospital after the initial treatment and recovery. She still bears the trauma of the assault. It breaks her on the physical, emotional and social levels. Not only this, other problems like isolation, amnesia, dissociation arise. The story ends with the tragic end when the parents of the survivor commit suicide by hanging themselves.

Sometimes because of shame survivors think they are bad, wrong, dirty, or permanently flawed. He/she might feel that the abuse was their fault. It represents how the victim’s family suffers every day due to perspective of the society. That is why most of the time these cases are not reported to the authorities. The nature of rape and other types of sexual assault depends on how these crimes are defined and measured. This encourages bad social elements. It is not done only by unknown people but sometimes known or relatives.

It is very difficult for survivors to place the blame on the person who assaulted them. Often the offender was a person close to them that they want to protect. The family feels very ashamed to face society.

In the real-world, survivor may feel betrayed by her body in various ways. They may have tried to numb/dissociate from their bodies in order not to experience the feelings brought on by the abuse. Sometimes in connection with the experience of numbness, survivors may seek out experiences that provide more intense physical sensations like self-injury. Long-term reactions include coping mechanisms which may be beneficial and adaptive (social support), or counterproductive and maladaptive (self-harm, substance abuse, eating disorders). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) include continuing anxiety, poor health, sense of helplessness, persistent fear, depression, mood swings, sleep disturbances, flashbacks, dissociation, panic attacks, phobias, relationship difficulties, withdrawal/isolation, paranoia and localized pain.

The disclosure of child sexual abuse can affect the entire family system. As the caregiver of a child who has survived sexual abuse, the family can seek support from friends or a counselor at the local rape crisis centre. Family can connect with other families who might be going through a similar experience. If parents can work through their own feelings, they will be better able to support child. Often the family will have feelings of anger, sadness, and guilt about what has happened to their child. They may have clear feelings of anger at the person who abused the child, or they may feel confused, especially if the person who abused your child is also someone that you love and trust.

This short film depicts that the effects of child sexual abuse may be similar to those reactions experienced by adults after a sexual assault. In those situations, the parent should let the child know that their feelings are also normal and that there are many ways to safely express these feelings. Because ending their own life would leave the future of the child in dark.

House (Made with Waste Paper , Thermocol sheet and Colors)

Village road (Made with Clay, Waste paper, Thermocol sheet and Colors)