Scotty's Vag
2023 · 16m · USA
Directed by Chaconne Martin-Berkowicz
Genres: coming-of-age, drama
Tones: dark, melancholic, tense
On the night of a sorority hazing event, college freshman Scotty must go as far as she's willing to impress the older girl she wants as her 'big.' The film examines the shifting power dynamics of Greek life, refusing to moralize — Scotty is not a naive victim but an active agent making her own choices.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Sorority hazing told with a participant who isn't a victim — refusing to moralize is the bare minimum and weirdly rare. Cautious yes.
Refusing to moralize sorority hazing by giving Scotty full agency rather than victimhood is a dramaturgical risk that distinguishes the film from its genre. Chaconne Martin-Berkowicz trusts complexity, which is rare in this register.
Sixteen minutes refusing to moralize sorority-hazing tropes by making Scotty a fully agentive participant rather than naive victim — that screenplay-level refusal is the only interesting way to make this story. Whether the camera and edit support that ambiguity is the open question; the page summary supports the intent at least.
Reviews
Lead actress Allegra Leguizamo conveys the tension between who Scotty is and who she wants others to perceive her as.
Festivals
- SXSW 2023
- Atlanta Film Festival 2023, Best Narrative Short Jury Award
- Seattle International Film Festival 2023
- deadCenter Film Festival 2023
- Tallgrass Film Festival 2023
- Woodstock Film Festival 2023
- Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2023
- London Short Film Festival 2023
- Bend Film Festival 2023