Ravaged to Be One is an existential musical that explores the psychological landscapes of our collective consciousness. Set within Jennifer Elster’s acclaimed art exhibition “The Classics” (featured in New York Times, Forbes, WhiteHot and NY1), archetypal figures—the Director, the Actress, the Judge, the Orthodontist, and the Spoken Word-ist—move through narration, song and performance, creating a trippy experience that finds a common standing between wisdom and insanity. Topics explored include warfare, nuclear anxieties, climate, and the questioning of why we are not awake to the world we inhabit. A tragic-comedy, for sure.

Music—vocalizations with cello and guitar—became the emotional and structural spine of the film. Songs like “If You Say What’s Fair — I Mean If You Dare,” "I'll Run and Hide," and “The Hurricane Song” rupture the space, carrying the audience into the unconscious where language alone cannot reach.

This film breaks all conventions of filmmaking.

CAST:

Jennifer Elster

Jan Milewicz

Diamond Senora Taylor

Shu-Wei Tseng

Nathaniel Grohmann

Anthony Haden-Guest

Michael Handelman

Luke Shapiro