Tacenda

Tacenda (noun): what's better left unsaid, matters to be passed over in silence.

What's left unsaid- leaves a stain. In the echoes of someone's laughter, in the scent still on your clothes. Often, there's a heavier, hidden grief in "what could have been" than "what was." What is lived, what is said and the difference between them.

The idea of Tacenda was to capture what two people aren't saying to each other- from the silent pauses in the car ride to the moment "Fall Apart" plays through their headphones in the end scene. We believe cinema is the most powerful way to capture this- what is left unsaid and what “almost” felt like. "Tacenda" is a deeply personal project to us and many others involved in the project. We started writing it after each having gone through our own experience of losing someone who had to move away. We learned that Noah's character arc was one we all had to go through- that sometimes, it's okay to let a good thing die. The world teaches us to grasp onto something so tightly, never to let anyone go, but sometimes- the most selfless way to love someone is to let them go. We believe there is freedom in this and hope, even amidst the grief.

We started making Tacenda with new fuel in our hearts, excited to finally tell the type of stories we are the most passionate about telling. Throughout the process, many people related to the story. When we were filming the last scene, many crew members watched in silence with tears in their eyes. We learned that this was a story we not only wanted to tell but needed to. It was an urgent story. One of our closest friends, Jaden, working in the art department team, was about to move away- right after we wrapped Production. Jaden has worked on every one of our films since high school, so this project suddenly had an added weight to it. Also, many other crew members told us they had experienced an "almost" in their life similar to the characters in the film.

Someone's always there- always around, and then they are not. They exit your life like a film dissolve. And then, all that is left of them is a memory that feels warm- even though it leaves you cold. We wanted to capture that in "Tacenda," from the color to the aspect ratio to the production design. Every directorial decision was carefully crafted to conjure this feeling. We designed the camera to subtly capture the unfolding journey of the characters, selectively reserving close-ups for pivotal instances and minimizing camera movements. This subtlety hopefully draws the audience in, allowing emotions to stealthily take hold. Authenticity was equally paramount, expressed through details in everything from the production design to sound design. Our aspiration was to infuse each frame with these details, creating a vivid immersion that transports the audience into the recollections of the characters.

After watching the first cut, Tyler Smith, freelance writer, wrote, "The film was fun and exuberant and familiar on first watch. The visuals were slick but necessary. The writing subtle. All I could do after was sit in the bittersweet. It knocked on fortified gates I've built around my own 'almosts.' But with levity and grace. A hug if one needs it. Perhaps a tear too."

We hope that this film reminds you of your "almosts." That you are not alone in your grief. That sometimes, it's okay to sit in the weighted silence, replay the memories in your heart, and let go of a good thing.

-Rita and Luke Konopasky