| Synopsis:
In the new millennium, there has been a sudden surge of interest in the effects of interpersonal rejection on behavior and emotion. What researchers are discovering is that the profound pain associated with rejection is both physical and emotional. The feature-length documentary “Reject” approaches the topic of social rejection and its destructive and even devastating consequences through a wide range of viewpoints. With everything from personal stories to hard science inquiry, we hope to give viewers a multi-layered look at a painful topic, but universal experience. |
The film tracks a range of experiences, from the more mundane daily occurrence like getting left out of a ball tossing game to the tragedy of bullying/cyber-bullying that has lead to school shootings and/or suicide. We travel into a maximum-security prison with a psychiatrist who observed first hand the connection of rejection to violence among prisoners. We get to know a family who is on a mission to raise consciousness in their Ohio town. Their son committed suicide as a direct result of severe bullying, perhaps one of the most extreme forms of social rejection.
Our team committed to producing the highest quality feature-length documentary on the subject of rejection. The project has attracted some of the top thinkers on this topic, from international ostracism expert Kipling Williams at Purdue University, to renowned youth violence expert James Garbarino at Loyola University. Rejection has been looked at in a myriad of ways, from poetry to clinical research, but never through such a visual, accessible medium as film. The big question we will explore is: how can a civilized society begin to understand the terrible price that is paid for the physical pain of rejection? The film also includes real-life examples that demonstrate methods for counteracting the ever-increasing tide of widespread youth suicide and violence if our communities commit to proactive involvement. |
