When I was 19 years old, I cut ties with my father. I had a difficult, painful childhood, and I needed distance from him in order to heal. When I was 29 years old, I learned he had received a terminal diagnosis, and I had to confront the relationship I’d tried to leave behind.
I wasn’t sure how to move forward. Should I reconnect with my father? Should I protect myself from further pain? I reached out to my friends and boyfriend for support, searching for a way to work through these complicated feelings. This short film, “The Final Chapter,” documents this process of grief and acceptance; ultimately, filming it served as its own form of catharsis.
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