

Your dead mom's clown doll won't stop staring. Neither will grief.
Em and her father need to pack away her mother's belongings after her passing. A fairly simple act, but a difficult one. And her father really seems to be coping well. Or is he?
Acting
John Banas's manic clown dad energy is deeply upsetting.
Production
The clutter becomes a character—every object carries absence.
Direction
Banas and Sampson squeeze 90 minutes of grief into 16.

Director
Michala Banas
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Real-life father-daughter duo John and Michala Banas drew from their own family dynamics, adding layers of uncomfortable authenticity.
The 16-minute runtime mirrors how grief compresses time—simultaneously endless and stolen.