Film

Synopsis:

My Messages to Self is a poetic portrait of David Kilburn, a Joshua Tree tradesman navigating profound loss. Through theatrical and emotionally charged imagery, Gordon Clark traces David’s transformation after the deaths of his son and wife. Inspired by her final words, “Metamorphosis,” he turns grief into a testament of resilience and renewal.

After the deaths of his son and wife, David Kilburn transforms grief into ritual, creativity, and hope. Through Gordon Clark’s poetic imagery, My Messages to Self explores how love endures beyond loss and how reinvention can become an act of survival.

Director Statement

David Kilburn’s story called to me because it speaks to something universal: how we survive unimaginable loss. After the deaths of his son and wife, David chose transformation over despair. Guided by her final words, he reinvented himself through ritual, faith, and imagination. This film is a portrait of that metamorphosis—a reminder that even in grief, there is the possibility of renewal.

Credits:

Gordon J Clark
Writer

Gordon J Clark
Director

David Kilburn
Director

David Kilburn
Key Cast

Jarrod Radnich
Original Music

Gordon J Clark
Producer

David Kilburn
Producer

Gordon J Clark
Director of Photography

Gordon J Clark
Film Editor

Jarrod Radnich
Music Editing & Mixing

Robert Curreri
Colorist

Scott A Jennings
Sound Mixer

Gordon J Clark
Photo Tableauxs

Jarrod Radnich
Visual Effects

Jorge Davies
Aerial Photography

Melissa Sabol
Executive Producer