- A taut psychological drama set within the confines of an elevator. Trapped in an elevator overnight, four would be jurors decide the fate of one when a dark secret is revealed. Sparked by twisted desire and propelled by rage, the pursuit of justice results in an uncomfortable twist.—Anonymous
- One of the important purposes of the dramatic arts is to explore the ways in which society responds to the needs of its weakest citizens. Traditionally, societies have responded to instances or allegations of child sexual abuse in two main ways: individuals speak passionately about how, "if it were up to me," the offenders would be dealt with (usually including threats of vengeful sexual violence), while the agencies societies have actually constructed to deal with these crimes (criminal justice systems, social outreach organizations, churches) have largely found ways to turn a blind eye to them (citing the rights of the accused or the unreliability of the testimony of children, for instance), or even served to protect the perpetrators. This is the paradox writer-director Gavin Rapp addresses in his short film The Shaft. The Shaft is the story of four people trapped in a courthouse elevator during a power outage. Three are jurors assigned to a child-molestation case. The fourth, as they discover during the drama's development, is the defendant. The social tensions that develop in The Shaft echo the tensions that child sexual abuse creates in society at large. Mr. Rapp and his actors deal with this difficult subject matter in a way that points to the problems societies have in addressing sexual crimes against children, but leaves open the possibility that more effective solutions may simply require more up-close and personal encounters between abusers and the rest of society.—Ron Hankison
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