Watch My Short Film Mary Anne & Frank
Set in New York City, Mary Anne & Frank is a short film about a lonely, reclusive senior citizen who seeks a release from life after the passing of a loved one.
I wrote and directed this short film because I’m interested in telling stories in which senior citizens have a full identity beyond uplifting or victim stories. Raised by my grandparents, senior citizens have always had a special place in my heart.
For Mary Anne & Frank, I was interested in the effects of gentrification on senior citizens in the Lower East Side of New York City. I saw that many of them were alone and didn’t have kids or relatives that they spoke to. From 2012 to 2014, many were priced out of their apartments. I felt anxious for their survival. When my grandparents passed away, I felt that there were few resources to address grief. Since Covid 19, I believe that many people have experienced the passing of a loved one or the feeling of trying to control something uncontrollable. This short film is about hanging onto something that no longer exists and what happens when we are at odds with the world and ourselves. Playing with structure, I also wanted to explore time and what it’s like to live a normal life on the outside to reveal the hidden cracks of one’s interior life.
Letting go isn’t as easy as people make it out to be, and I wanted to give the lead character in this short film, Mary Anne, the grace and time she needed.
Lisa Marie Presley held onto the body of her dead son on ice at home for two months after he passed away. I think everyone experiences the passing of loved ones and grief differently.
When my grandparents passed away, I had a difficult time moving on with my life. While I didn’t hang onto their dead bodies, I held on internally and didn’t know that I was allowed to live a full life without them. Making this film has helped me to process some of my own grief, and I hope that it can be helpful to others as well.
Please go watch it on OTV now!
