Experiencing Interruptions?

Someone Will Assist You Shortly

Someone Will Assist You Shortly (SWAYS) explores a hospice nurse’s panic and isolation as he cares for his abusive and cognitively impaired father.

The psychology of nursing — of caring for another — is ripe for exploration at a time in which these essential workers are our everyday heroes. SWAYS sheds a little light on the anxiety, discomfort, and trauma that comprise a nurse's ordinary day on the job.

  • Jon Levenson
    Writer/Director
    Modern Family, Willow Garden, Better Half
  • Stephen Boyett
    Producer
  • David Wiese
    Producer
    John Dies at the End, Dead Night, Major Lazer
  • Daryl Roth
    Producer
    Dinner with Friends, Albert Nobbs, Kinky Boots the Musical,
  • Kendall Brunson
    Producer
    Grab This!, Willow Garden
  • Amy Kirwin
    Producer
  • Reed Birney
    Key Cast
    "Dennis"
    House of Cards, Handmaid's Tale, Home Before Dark,
  • Frank De Julio
    Key Cast
    "Eli"
    Pose, Otherhood, The Night Of
  • Michelle Wilson
    Key Cast
    "Raya"
    The Good Fight, Amazing Stories, ER
  • Kristin Villanueva
    Key Cast
    "Nurse"
    Younger, Bonding, Search Party
  • Brenda Simmons
    Key Cast
    "Grandma"
  • Jenn Haltman
    Casting Director
    Boy Meets Girl, Madeline's Madeline
  • Michael Immerman
    Editor
    What If He Wins, Waste-land, Elite Youth
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 14, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.4
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cambria Film Festival - Summerfest
    Cambria, CA
    United States
    August 21, 2021
  • Montclair Film Festival
    Montclair, New Jersey
    United States
Director Biography

Jon Levenson has been a career actor in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles for many years. He was part of the original Broadway cast of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart.

When the Navy took his brother-in-law overseas, Levenson came home to do some hardcore uncle-ing. It was during this time he fell for writing. Levenson received his first M.F.A. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and his second in Screenwriting at the University of California, Riverside. He is a proud SAG-AFTRA and AEA member.

Levenson's greatest passions are his 3 nephews, his niece, and his supermutt, Winnie Cooper. He lives with his husband, Steve, in the ridiculously special coastal town of Cambria, CA.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Someone Will Assist You Shortly is about a small-town hospice nurse wrestling with loneliness, panic, and shame as he tries to care for his abusive father. The story is personal. It evolved from my family's experience with my grandma’s in-home death.

After a year of social distance, isolation, and marveling at how our essential workers have the emotional bandwidth to care for every kind of patient in the most extreme circumstances, Someone Will Assist You Shortly is a tribute to the nurses in my family. Caring is murky. Distance is impossible when someone else's life is in your hands. But dark moments do pass.

In the main character, Eli, we see a nurse, stale in his loneliness, waking to the unexpected acceptance of his dysfunctional family. It’s my hope the short speaks to you if you've had to dig deep to care for a loved one in ways you never imagined.

SWAYS would never have crossed the finish line if not for the support, passion, and humor of our magical crew, staff, and generous supporters. We hope the film can pay homage to their grit, skill, and spirit.