The other side of sadness

In this hybrid film, both fiction and documentary, five young women describe the feelings of grief when losing a parent at a young age. When Anna returns to her father's home after his death, his empty house feels filled with love, sadness and loss. Anna moves through a storm of emotions as these may come and go in the process of grief.

In this film, I interviewed five friends who have lost a parent at a young age as have I. It struck me that even though our situations were so different, there were similarities to be found in our shared experience. This film encourages people to open up the conversation of grief among young adults, and has been exhibited at many events to discuss mental health and loss.

Writer and director: Marit van der Heijden

Cast: Lotta Sophie Bakker, Casper Nusselder, Theo Bakker and Renske Hettinga

Producer: David Warringa

Director of Photography: Maxime Brun

Editor: Zoey van der Heijden

Production Design: Marleen Klapwijk, Marie Boskma, Simone van Daelen

Sound Design & Composition: Elephant Ears

Colour Grading: Judy Steenman, Filmmore