Days After Your Departure

A beautifully shot, but strange short story about the reemergence of a son following his mother's death.

How one categories the emotions of loss to articulate them visually and cinematically, I don't know. Yet, writers and filmmakers do it time and time again, across the screen for viewers like us to see, connect, relate and heal.

JoeKenneth's work does this for me.

His words and his journey couldn't be more poignant than in this cinematic form of a human grappling with loss and departure while also finding ones self and voice.

It seems almost uncanny to review a work so near to a heart I'll never physically see, but I can do it because the heart of the subject has been left in these ten minutes.

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Everything about this film screams human. The candor with which Joekenneth speaks in regards to his journey following the death of his mom is so raw and exposed that it makes you feel incredibly connected as you watch. You realize you're not alone, no matter what your process looks like. The script and cinematography are so beautiful that I felt like it takes this very ugly thing we all experience and makes it a true work of art. Also, really makes you want to actually read the book Days After Your Departure.

Something you would expect to see at a film festival not HBO. Thank God it was only 10 minutes long.

I heard about this film after friend of mine told me about Joekenneth's work. The storytelling is unlike anything I've seen previously. Rooted in poetry, the visuals accompany and even elevate the narrative of the film. It's raw, moving, beautiful, but above all it's a story that all can relate to. Once you've seen it, you'll want to watch it over and over again.