afterglow

Josephine, harboring a fear of being forgotten by her grandfather with dementia, summons the courage to visit him at his nursing home.

The story.

Afterglow follows newly graduated Josephine, as she reminisces on the times she had with her grandparents – specifically, her grandfather. However, when he’s diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and placed into a care facility, Josie has to face the possibility that he may eventually forget her.

WHy tell this story?

Our goal with “Afterglow” is to highlight the difficulty of watching our grandparents age with time. As we grow older, we become more aware about our fleeting time with our elders.

We want to confront the fear of watching a loved one decline and bring comfort to those who may be struggling with similar experiences, particularly those who feel like they’re not brave enough to face it head-on.

For My Grandfather…

I love directing films that are rooted in complex characters. It’s especially important to me when I can deeply relate to the emotional heart of a film. I’ve often yearned for more time with my grandfather, no longer with us. A terrible fall landed my grandfather paralyzed in a patient-rehabilitation center. Within two years, he was gone. I didn’t visit him as much as I could have. The pain of losing him made me feel guilty of not spending enough time with him as I got older. He was around almost every day of my childhood. But as I grew up and new ‘priorities’ entered my life, I lost sight of something - I lost sight of what it means to be involved with your family. It took me years to understand this. I had to rub my eyes clear of my teenage rebellious attitude in order to realize how distant I had become with my own grandfather, who took care to raise me right. Now that he’s gone, I can only hope he is proud of who I am becoming, as I will never know the answer.

If nothing else, I want this film to make audiences take action: To spend more time with the family members they love. To remind people that time slips away if you’re not careful. To remind people that it’s okay to wear your heart on your sleeve.

I’m both honored and humbled to help bring Afterglow to life.