Film

Synopsis:

An incredible and cathartic film, “Dead Parents Club” shows that our enduring fascination with orphan stories may stem from a simple truth that we are constantly searching for ways to understand loss and to feel less alone within it" - Alison Ficklin, Documentary Drive

Bound by the shared experience of parental loss, an unlikely group comes together to challenge a familiar narrative trope.

Dead Parents Club is a hybrid documentary that blends observational documentary, experimental performance, and cultural analysis to explore the orphan trope in popular culture. From Little Orphan Annie to The Lion King and Frozen, the absence of parents is a recurring theme in children’s films, used to set characters on their journey and emancipate them from parental influence. Yet, the reality of losing a parent is far more complex and nuanced than these fictional narratives suggest.

This documentary follows real individuals who have experienced parental loss as they interrogate the orphan trope by crafting a theater production. Stepping into the shoes of iconic characters like Simba, Frodo, and Nemo, they weave their own stories into the scenes they perform. The result is a poignant, absurd, and unexpectedly funny exploration of grief, identity, and the narratives we inherit.

Weaving between the worlds of trauma and trope, lived experience and fantasy, this documentary explores how we navigate grief, find connection, and ultimately learn to parent our parents—and ourselves.

It looks at the trope of the orphan in popular culture and follows people who have lost their parents enacting famous orphan characters.

Credits:

Lara Thoms
Director

Gena Riess
Director

Gena Riess
Writer
Queens of Concrete, Creating a Monster

Gena Riess
Producer
Queens of Concrete, We Are Sexual Beings, Creating a Monster

Madeleine Martiniello
Producer

Madeleine Hawcroft
Producer

Amrita Hepi
Key Cast

Josh Glanc
Key Cast

Tony Yap
Key Cast

Patrick McCabe
Editor