Calum de Hartog

After she ends up in prison and loses custody of her son, a woman struggles to assimilate outside her former life and remain clean long enough to regain custody of her son.

The Truth About Rainbows is a dramatic short film set in a new world city on the verge of change, for better or worse. Once upon a time, Toronto was heralded as one of the most liveable and culturally diverse cities in the world. But that was before years of economic instability, political scandal and rising crime rates forced the Federal Crown to appoint a City Comptroller. It is now 2023. Amidst the largest revitalization campaign in the country, conflict sparks between the wealthy who reside in the City Core, and the displaced living in localized communities on the Outside. When Des Roberson returns home after a five-year absence, he arrives in a city militarized, and with the unsettling knowledge that his father has mysteriously disappeared.

Set in the Bronx, in the era of 1950s McCarthyism, everybody wants to look the same. Michael a gay, twenty-something-year old mouse, hides his true identity while he works as a tailor. When Isaac enters the shop one day he offers the escapism and love Michael craves. In Michael’s confined apartment, he becomes tormented by the memories of Isaac’s tragic death. Michael’s memories and flashbacks are triggered when he notices Isaac’s jacket draped on the back of a chair. Haunted by the solace Isaac once offered, he struggles to come to terms with his loss.