Good Mourning

Shaken by the death of a parent, Penelope refuses to join her siblings, Daphne and Johnny, for the funeral. Tensions run high as each of them deal with their own level of grief. But by connecting and consoling each other, the three discover what it truly means to be a family.

  • Manuel Villarreal
    Director
  • Manuel VIllarreal
    Writer
  • Allison Adams
    Producer
  • Kelsey Linden
    Key Cast
  • Allison Adams
    Key Cast
  • Manuel Villarreal
    Key Cast
  • Mark Villarreal
    Director of Photography
  • Sue Kim
    Production Assistant
  • Project Type:
    Short, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Drama, LGBT, Women, Latino, Family, Grief
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 18 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 22, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Manuel Villarreal

Manuel Villarreal is a writer, director, and actor in Los Angeles, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Cinema-Television-Video Aesthetics from California State University, Northridge. As a filmmaker, he is very interested in the in-between moments in life. The melancholia that surrounds an individual, and how said person deals with their sadness. Manuel hopes that in making films with difficult subject matter, he can make a person feel less lonely in this great world.

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Director Statement

'Good Mourning' was born with a vision I had of a young woman crossing the lawn and meditating. I then had to ask myself, "What was she doing there?" "Is there anyone else with her?" And suddenly the story came into fruition. With this film, I really wanted to explore the different ways that people grieve, and so I anchored three different emotions to each of the characters. These turned out to be avoidance, severity, and empathy.

Given my own experience in mourning, I found that death damages the relationships we have amongst the living. Most of all, I wanted to explore how three distinct individuals could be so misaligned in their relation to grief and how those differences not only make them human, but also propel them into reconciliation.