Fou

Fou lives as a love letter to my grandmother and the relationship we might have shared if stigma hadn’t stood in the way. My grandmother, Shanna Pean, lived over sixty years of her life with high-functioning schizophrenia, yet fear and misunderstanding kept her isolated, even from those who loved her most. She was in my life, but always from a distance. When she passed in 2019, I was left with a deep longing, wondering about the relationship we could have shared if her disorder hadn’t ostracized her.

I started writing Fou in 2020, initially as a thriller, feeling contained in quarantine. But as I dug deeper into the nature of certain stigmas and superstitions in my culture, the story shifted into a lighthearted comedy—one that still held space for the gravity of her experience. Her pure soul and quirky nature inspired the character of “Fani,” a spunky, offbeat pre-teen who happens to have dissociative identity disorder (D.I.D.).

Choosing to tell the story through the lens of a strict Haitian grandmother, Foufoune came to embody the collective consciousness of my own community, where delicate situations are often navigated with judgment or superstition. Through her, I was able to explore the intersections of mental health and familial love. The film became a celebration of the tender chaos and joyful absurdity that can coexist in the most unexpected bonds, especially within immigrant families.

At its heart, the film is about finding connection and understanding where they’re least expected—a reflection of the relationship I wish I could have had with my grandmother.