Raspberry (Short)
**Seen for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival**
One of my lasting moments from when my father died in 2013 was when my mother, myself, my (now) wife and our minister was in his room as he passed away. We were basically in there, waiting for him to expire, and we were talking. At a certain point, one of the nurse’s came by- we had been waiting for someone to come in and tell us when he was gone. We asked, and they said that it had happened a few hours before, something our minister had picked up on (because she had been through this before), but we didn’t. We were shocked until the nurse said that she didn’t see anything wrong with it, because she’d seen people do that before. We couldn’t help but laugh; it was just the right note to leave on, because instead of being sad and dismayed, we were happy- sadness and anxiety would hit us later.
Watching Julian Doan’s 7-minute short film, “Raspberry,” reminded me of that moment, because it turns a moment of profound grief into something that leaves us feeling happy, or at least, not terribly depressed. This story of a family grieving the loss of their father hits all of the right notes from the moment it begins, with the family in the room with the father as he expires, then waiting for the undertakers to arrive, then in the room with him one, last time. It is at that point when the undertaker suggests they each take a moment to say one final thing to him before his body is taken. We get the types of reactions to death we expect from every one but the youngest son, whose tribute is more personal.
There is no one definitive way to grieve those we lose. I’ve been around death a few times, and it’s never easy. But my father’s death, while difficult, showed me that it’s alright to laugh when something is funny, even when it’s during a somber time. “Raspberry” captures that same feeling, while also capturing the broken heart that comes with loss. Sometimes, something is just too funny to not acknowledge it, and appreciate it.
**”Raspberry” is part of the “Shorts Program 2” short film block, which is available On-Demand starting on January 28.**
