Film
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This is a short essay documentary specifically about grief and grieving. The film is organized in chapters, and each reflects on a different element of my grieving process.
Director Statement
Grief is never linear. In late November 2017 my maternal grandmother passed away, the week of Thanksgiving. Less than a month later, my younger sister Symone was born. Navigating the grief of losing my grandmother, while learning to be a much older brother simultaneously forced me to reflect more deeply on what I had learned from my relatives and friends who died. My eyes often rest on keepsakes, left behinds, objects that carry the shadows of memories of those lost. And although many years have passed, I still find myself encountering reminders, even in cities where I have no memories with them. Who could I be without them? distillations is one attempt to answer that question. It also serves as my means for preparing for the many conversations I will have with my much younger sister as our loved ones pass on. In the meantime, I hope this film sparks community conversations about how others have learned to live with their grief and the memories of their family, friends, and community members who are no longer with us.
Director
a door away; On Task
Alex H. Rafi
Writer
Alex H. Rafi
Producer
Phillip Smith
Composer
Distillations
| Distillations | |
| Documentary Short Films | |
| grandmother loss, grandparent loss, next generation, history, grief journal, newborn | |
| 21 minutes | |
| United States | |
| 2026 | |
| English |
Synopsis:
Grief is universal. Yet living with grief is an individual experience. distillations is an intimate essay film–part poem, part autoethnography, part meditation–on the process of living after loss. Broken into several chapters based on a series of notes written to my eight-year-old sister, distillations reinterprets the platitudes often shared with those in grief, explores grief that come from other forms of loss, and provides space for reflection, for healing, and for growth.This is a short essay documentary specifically about grief and grieving. The film is organized in chapters, and each reflects on a different element of my grieving process.
Director Statement
Grief is never linear. In late November 2017 my maternal grandmother passed away, the week of Thanksgiving. Less than a month later, my younger sister Symone was born. Navigating the grief of losing my grandmother, while learning to be a much older brother simultaneously forced me to reflect more deeply on what I had learned from my relatives and friends who died. My eyes often rest on keepsakes, left behinds, objects that carry the shadows of memories of those lost. And although many years have passed, I still find myself encountering reminders, even in cities where I have no memories with them. Who could I be without them? distillations is one attempt to answer that question. It also serves as my means for preparing for the many conversations I will have with my much younger sister as our loved ones pass on. In the meantime, I hope this film sparks community conversations about how others have learned to live with their grief and the memories of their family, friends, and community members who are no longer with us.
Credits:
Alex H. RafiDirector
a door away; On Task
Alex H. Rafi
Writer
Alex H. Rafi
Producer
Phillip Smith
Composer