SYNOPSIS

“The One Who Rang” is a narrative short shot on 35mm film, set in the backdrop of a present-day, New England Graveyard.

When the long unused bell of a Safety Coffin begins to ring after more than a century of dormancy, “The One Who Rang” depicts three characters’ motivations and fears on how to proceed. This is all set into motion when Oliver—the caretaker’s nephew—accidentally steps out of line to inform the Manager of this strange ringing, against his uncle’s wishes. Earl, the caretaker and oldest of the three—fueled by an overwhelming fear that the world that he once knew and controlled will soon pass him by—is then forced to fight against his far younger boss on whether to raise the grave or ignore the ringing entirely.

The film is a commentary on the public, ongoing, generational divide seen today. Each of these three characters represent an age demographic where their incentives on how to proceed with the situation are amplified by the dialogue in today’s current political climate. Thusly, all those involved bicker in a manner that reflects the state and the context of our ageist, social climate.

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WHAT IS A SAFETY COFFIN?

A Safety Coffin is a grave outfitted with a bell-mechanism to prevent premature burials from going unnoticed. The operation which—at its base—includes an exterior, hanging bell with a string wrapped around the ‘deceased’s’ finger. This allows the person below to signal to the caretakers above that they have been buried alive. The fear of a premature burial was especially prevalent during the Cholera outbreaks of the 18th and 19th century—when dehydration led to prolonged coma, paralysis, and other types of sustained unconsciousness.

Although there are no cases of this system saving any actual lives, the string that ran below would occasionally suffer a pull caused by the natural processes of decay; the body-in-question would swell or shift position, causing accidental tension on the cord—a "false positive.”