Run Away, Rue tells the story of a young woman who is forced to confront her social anxiety, which manifests in haunting hallucinations caused by menstrual blood loss.
When I watched Run Away, Rue I was really intrigued by the mixture of animation and real life performances. I feel the animation gave the film this uneasy feeling of slowly losing your mind. As I finished the short film I wondered, what do you do when your loved ones are constantly telling you there’s nothing to worry about but you know in your guts that something is off? Do you keep running away or do you face your fears? I think watching the main character, Rue, confront her anxiety while being on her period was a really strong choice. Rarely do we get to see the rawness of menstrual blood. Some people may think Rue is “weak” but by the end of the film she proves them wrong.
As a fellow graduate of The New School I got to witness Sarah’s art/craft develop and improve. Her passion, drive and ideas always inspired me. I’m glad I was able to view her film, Run Away, Rue. I really enjoyed seeing things from a Female gaze, instead of making us irrational, there is the feeling that we are just humans just trying to overcome things society doesn’t want us to face or talk about. Sarah’s short film was too slightly dark and uneasy while still remaining enjoyable and funny.
A must watch and you can find a link to it below!
Sarah Martinez is a recent graduate of The New School, where she studied acting and creative technologies. Run Away, Rue is her first narrative film. As a multidisciplinary artist, she has enjoyed video editing and designing projection for various film and theater pieces. Some of her favorite projects she’s worked on are acting in Escape Goat Pictures, book trailers to portray angsty, shape shifting teens as well as working on her own video design installation, Lexapro 5mg, which explores the side effects of anti anxiety medications. Sarah also enjoys a daily practice of yoga, taekwondo and spending time with her dog, Michiko.