The Past Is Patient
A 35 mm short film about grief, memory, and the intergenerational trauma that shapes who we become
This project is fiscally sponsored by Film Independent, a 501(c)(3) a non-profit organization that supports independent filmmakers and a community of artists and audiences. Contributions on behalf of this project are payable to Film Independent and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. To support this project, please click the button below.
Join us in Bringing this film to life
The Story
Decades after the death of his sister Jo, Rick is suddenly pulled into a quiet reckoning with her memory; confronting the guilt he’s carried and the healing he never believed he deserved.
Rick, a grief-hardened tow truck driver, lives in quiet collapse, until the ghost of his sister Jo returns, forcing him to confront a past he’s spent decades avoiding. Their reunion plays out in the liminal space between memory and reality, as buried trauma resurfaces: a violent father, a silent mother, and a single Zippo lighter that outlived them all. As Jo guides Rick through flashbacks of childhood pain and lost innocence, the film becomes a slow-burning meditation on guilt, forgiveness, and the emotional purgatory of unresolved grief. Told with visual poetry and raw stillness, The Past Is Patient blends the haunting intimacy of A Ghost Story with the emotional grit of Leave No Trace; a restrained, aching story about learning to let go.
Starring: Chris Jaymes, Mele Black, Ollie Walters, Laurie Burke and Matilda Black.
The Why
In 2009, I lost a friend to suicide. I experienced complex grief, but I didn’t know how to name it, let alone process it. More than a decade later, I started to see a pattern: the way we grieve is shaped by how we carry loss. Generational trauma doesn’t just live in the big, visible moments, it’s in how we cope. How we hide. How we keep moving even when something inside us has stopped.
I don’t know what caused my friend’s death. But I do know the patterns I followed in the aftermath: the silence, the discomfort around emotion, the numbing and the need to seem okay even when I wasn’t. I saw those same patterns reflected back in the people around me (friends, siblings, families) trying to hold their own inherited pain.
This film is about the people left behind, and how they cope with grief. It's not about having answers, but about acknowledging and witnessing the journey that brings us to where we are today. There are no dramatic resolutions, but there is the quiet recognition that healing begins when you stay long enough to acknowledge that the pain exists. It's a place to start. We know this story can’t fix what’s broken. Suicide loss and trauma can’t be resolved in a single conversation or a fifteen-minute film. But what we can do is hold space. With care. With intention. With truth. We’ve followed the AFSP’s safe reporting guidelines for fictional narratives, which you can read Here. Our hope is that this film becomes a door. Not to closure, but to conversation.
The Ask
We’ve filmed a teaser based on our screenplay, which includes elements of a flashback encounter with the younger version of our protagonist, Rick. Now it’s time to make the full film with the entire cast and crew. That’s where you come in. We know these are challenging times, and asking for financial support is bold. But we believe deeply in the impact of this story. The Past Is Patient is inspired by true events. It explores loss, generational trauma, and the unspoken ways we’re taught to carry grief. It also touches on complex, often-silenced experiences, including suicide and addiction. This isn’t my first attempt to tell this story.
Last year, I tried to make a version of this film on my own. I poured in everything I had (including my life savings). But I didn’t have the right collaborators, or the freedom to tell the story the way it needed to be told. The result lacked clarity, heart, and alignment. So I made the hardest (and most honest) choice: I walked away. And then I started over.
Inspired by the story, Filmmaker David Dodson didn't want to see my efforts go to waste. He believed in the message, but more importantly, he believed in me. He made an offer that I never expected: "I would like to help y ou make this film". And here we are.As our director, editor (and co-writer) David helped me have a second chance at telling a story that lived inside of me for years. We rebuilt from the ground up. New cast, new crew, and a seasoned director and cinematographer who fully understand the emotional and visual language this story demands. The actors are deeply aligned with the material. And this time, I had full creative freedom to write the script I originally envisioned, without compromise. And with David's help as co-writer, it is beautifully told.
Now, we're planning a focused five-day shoot in Santa Clarita, with a cast of six working under a SAG UPA agreement. We’ll be shooting on 35mm film, with gear generously sponsored by Panavision. We know it's ambitious. But stories like this deserve to be told with care and craft.
If this story resonates with you, we invite you to make a donation in any amount using the buttons above or below. You can learn more about your donation options and how contributions are used in the “About Donating” section—and meet the people bringing this film to life under “The Team” and “The Cast.”
Thank you for helping us carry this story into the world.
Our Responsibility
This film is centred around generational trauma, grief, addiction, and suicide loss. Although we do not focus on Jo's suicide (nor do we show it), it is a catalyst to Rick's journey in the film. We have made sure to take special care in addressing this delicate subject matter. We have followed the AFSP's safe reporting guidelines for fictional narratives, which you can read HERE.
We are also working with mental health professionals and reaching out to organizations to screen the material during pre and post production. If you are a mental health professional or organization and wish to be involved or to simply read our script, please fill out a Contact Form.
We also have a page dedicated to resources to support you: If You're Struggling
Childhood trauma affects your ability to trust people. You don’t learn how to feel safe with others. So when you lose someone and you’re deep in grief, it’s hard to reach out. Grief needs connection but trauma makes connection feel dangerous.
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"Trauma experienced in childhood has significant implications for healthy child development and psychopathology in adulthood" (NIH)
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"Trauma (including childhood trauma) experienced by parents can negatively affect their parenting ability while also increasing the risk of transmitting trauma to their children" (NIH)
The Team
We are a small but passionate team of filmmakers who believe in the power of honest storytelling. With backgrounds spanning directing, cinematography, writing, music, and producing, we are collaborators drawn together by a shared commitment to emotionally resonant, character-driven work. This film is a labor of love made by artists who lead with heart, craft with care, and trust each other to tell stories that matter.
The Cast
We’ve brought together a group of deeply talented actors who are not only skilled performers but passionate storytellers. With collective experience spanning film, television, theater, and devised performance, this ensemble brings a rare blend of range, truth, and emotional intelligence to the work. More than just credits on a résumé, these artists care about the heart of the story. Together, they’re poised to breathe life into this film with honesty, complexity, and connection.
The Blog
Here you will find posts and updates from our team and cast.
