As depicted in Niccolo Rolim’s short film, Broken Layers, a vast majority of Americans are like an onion—layered. For those descended from immigrants, we are comprised of many different cultures and identities, but we find it difficult to call one our own.
Rawan Hage plays Rosa, a former U.S. Marine once deployed in the Middle East, trying to get her feet back on the ground at home in Los Angeles. She is living with her divorced Latina mother. She and her Syrian father believe that Rosa needs to get a job for stability and finances.
“Both she and her Syrian father believe that Rosa needs to get a job…”
When her father comes over for dinner, he offers Rosa a position at his company, but the conversation deteriorates as he condemns Rosa for killing Syrians during her recent tour. As Rosa’s problems at home escalate, she flashbacks to a battle in Syria that went awry. We see why Rosa struggles with PTSD.
Broken Layers tells a hope-filled story for our veterans returning home who feel lost after deployment. Rosa’s identity is wrapped up in her mother’s Latin and father’s Syrian heritage while at the same time serving her country as a Marine. Filmmaker Rolim shows that even though our backgrounds are spread across the Earth, small things tie each culture together.
Who knew you could find Middle East locations in Los Angeles? Rolim’s story of the American experience is beautiful, and Rawan Hage is cast perfectly. Broken Layers really brings her story around perfectly in the end.