The film opens up with white haze hovering over a woman in bed. Score sets the tone. The woman’s head now rests on a man’s bare chest – listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Meet Cassandra – played beautifully by Elisabeth Jamison. The moment sharply changes to reality when that beating heart is that of another man. Her beloved husband, Eddie, has died. In a charming opening scene, we realize the man in bed has Eddie’s kidneys.
This Award Winning Short Film touches on loss, grief and moving on in a script filled with poignant dramatic and comedic scenes. Cassandra’s husband has passed away in a freak accident. Her husband signed the back of his driver’s license, being an organ donor, without ever mentioning it to his wife. All his body parts were immediately taken and given out to those in need.
Cassandra’s quest to connect with him, through these people, comes up unfulfilling time and time again. Each meeting proves to be more disastrous than the last. She doesn’t understand why he didn’t mention something so important to her.
One of the best scenes in the film is the conversation with her therapist. “What I feel is his absence. Like I’m a missing a limb or something. What I mean is he’s always not there, all the time. Who are these people? He could have told me. Did he forget to tell me?” The therapist is not seen – nor heard – revealing Cassandra’s pain and isolation.
The film taps into the difficult journey of grief and loss but it also touches on a territory unfamiliar to most. When parts from our loved one are scattered among transplant patients – who do we see if we meet them? Desperate to still have a piece of our loved one somewhere – are we still able to see and feel them?
In a heartfelt scene – Jose Ramos gives Cassandra – and the audience the answer.
