Esteban Crespo’s Aquel No Era Yo might not have come off as abrasive if it had been in the feature length format. Paula and Juanjo are doctors traveling through an unspecified area of war torn Africa, when they are kidnapped by a bloodthirsty war lord and is army of AK-47 toting child soldiers. What ensues is a series of events akin to wading through hell: rape, murder, and war. Its difficult to watch not only because of the subject matter but because, as it is a short film, there is zero time to adjust to what you are seeing or to mentally prepare yourself for what is coming next. In a word, it’s brutal. The film is built with the frame story of former child soldier recounting these events at a seminar to a group of attentive people. The young man, who helped contribute to the horrific ordeal of Juanjo and Paula, talks of being a soldier and being made to do terrible things. Juanjo and Paula’s story ends badly, but the film reaches a satisfying conclusion with its final shot. Not to spoil it, it encompasses a bittersweet forgiveness that relieves much of the dirtiness and cheapness that comes from the oil-and-water combination of the format and subject.