‘Shattered Dreams’ documentary makes debut as prevention tool

Wednesday at the Wheeler Event Center in Sallisaw, there was a screen, a movie, an audience, popcorn and soft drinks.

And for the three dozen people — mostly high school students — who showed up for the free screening of “Shattered Dreams,” it was, hopefully, a life-changing perspective of the tragic consequences that occur for those who drive while impaired.

The world premiere showing of the 30-minute documentary brings to the screen a gripping and heartwrenching portrayal of the devastating consequences that unfold when teenagers get behind the wheel while intoxicated.

As described by Sallisaw NOW Coalition, the local substance abuse prevention champion serving Sequoyah County, the movie delves deep into the lives of a group of teenagers from a tight-knit community. The teens, vibrant and full of potential, are on the cusp of adulthood, eager to explore life’s opportunities. But in a fateful moment of youthful recklessness, they make the fateful decision to drive under the influence, irreversibly altering their lives.

“Shattered Dreams” takes its audience on a rollercoaster of emotions that climax in the harrowing aftermath of a catastrophic car accident. The film doesn’t shy away from portraying the heartbreaking consequences of impaired driving, from the physical injuries to the emotional trauma experienced by victims as well as perpetrators.

But the poignant drama doesn’t just focus on the immediate impact, but also explores the ripple effect through the perspectives of the families, friends and the community. It underscores the importance of safe choices and responsible decision-making, especially among young people.

“Shattered Dreams” is not just a movie, it’s a message and a call to action. It compels teens and adults alike to rethink choices and priorities, and the consequences they may bring. It implores everyone to come together as a community to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future.

The thought-provoking and emotional film serves as a stark reminder of the real-life consequences of drunk driving, and is a heartfelt tribute to the lives forever altered by one bad decision and a plea for a safer, more responsible future for all.

“We, at Sallisaw NOW, don’t use it as a scare tactic,” explains Micki Kimble, special projects coordinator for the coalition. “We’re saying this is the process of what’s going to happen, these are the people who are affected. We’re just trying to educate people, because we believe that education is prevention, so that’s what we work on, prevention.”

While the impact of viewing a crash scene — even a mock one — in person can have a dramatic impact, especially for teens who are only beginning to combine driving and making wise decisions, not every school is able to present the teaching tool the way Sallisaw High School did in March when the documentary was filmed.

“We’ll be able to use this at times where perhaps a school would like the information, but they can’t set up [the crash scene], this is something we can share with them — they would be able to view it with their class if they have something special going on,” Kimble says in explaining uses for the documentary, which was produced locally by Megaphone Pro Solutions.

“We would love to have [the live crash scene dramatization] throughout the county. Sallisaw School was gracious enough to let us host it there. We would love it if, in a few years, we could take it to the east side of the county, in a few years take it to the west and have more of those schools involved with it and getting to play a piece of it. But if we can’t, then this video could be used in place of that.”

But Kimble assures that Sallisaw NOW Coalition is not expecting to become Oklahoma’s answer to Paramount Pictures. “No, not anytime soon.”

The documentary’s somber epilogue serves as a stark reminder of how those portrayed were impacted, both physically and emotionally, by a split-second decision to drink and drive. Many of the high school students portrayed had plans to attend college, some on athletic and academic scholarships. All anticipated futures as productive members of society.

But they never recovered. One died. One was imprisoned. Others suffered injuries that changed their lives forever.

For those portrayed, the tragedy — unexpected, occurring in the blink of an eye — became their shattered dreams.