Issac's Overwhelming Grief

Issac's Overwhelming Grief

Bruce Von Stiers

When you lose someone you love, it takes a toll. Sometimes grief is minimal. But sometimes the grief of losing someone becomes overwhelming. And for a few people, that grief is so intense, they're lost and can't move forward.

A lot of films have been made about the loss I've just described. Some are good, others miss the mark. Then there are those whose message is very strong. One such film is Sunday Mourning.

Issac is on the beach and sees someone cloaked in a red sheet. He gets freaked out.

Then there are scenes with Issac carrying an urn. First, he's on a subway car at the airport, then at a mall area there and finally arriving at a hotel, still carrying the urn. You can tell his grief is palatable. He holds onto the urn like he just can't let go of it.

At the beach a little later, Issac is still grieving so much that he feels he can't go on. But then a phone call changes everything.

This film shows just how much grief can weigh upon a person. From seeing things that aren't there to their heart hurting so much they feel unable to continue their life. But, also, that a spark of hope can change things around completely.

Salo Musaerenge played Issac. Other actors with minor roles in the film were Drake Warbles and Jumaris Glanton.

Sunday Mourning is from Gianna Leal. She wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Gianna also provided the voice on the phone call to Issac. The director of photography was Jose Guerrero.

Grieving someone's death is often times kept in the shadows. As shown in this film, a person's grief can take hold so strongly there doesn't seem to be a way forward. But there really is.

Here is a portion of a statement about the film that Gianna wrote. “Death will always be a complex topic to address, but I hope to create and cultivate a story that can help a multitude of people especially young men – navigate grief and learn how to process their emotions in a healthy way. Or at least face them.”

I think that Sunday Mourning does what Gianna set out to do. It shows how overwhelming grief can be and how we can choose to rise above it.

Sunday Mourning is now an official selection for the Best Shorts Competition and the Lift-Off Filmmaker Session 6.

Sunday Mourning can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kLT2TkYPRU

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