Stories of grief, memory and healing take centrestage

Among the films that stood out during the latest Films That Move screening series were two productions that explored healing from very different perspectives, one through the raw experience of losing a child and the other through family memories, inheritance, and the ability to confront painful experiences with a different outlook.

The films, Bright Sparks, directed by Lesley-Ann Wanliss, and Smile, directed by Jordan Morris, were among six films screened during the session held under the theme “Breaking the Silence: Healing in the Aftermath”.

Wanliss’ Bright Sparks, which received the Emerging Filmmaker Award, takes audiences into the aftermath of a family’s devastating loss.

The film explores the grief of a mother who has lost one son while trying to help her surviving son remain focused and recognise opportunities that could lead to a successful future. Through the mother’s experience, the film examines the different layers of grief and how loss can affect the everyday moments that follow.

Even something as simple as leaving the family home can trigger memories of the son who is no longer there, bringing the mother face to face with a pain she cannot easily escape.

The story moves between the present and the past, using flashbacks to reveal the death of the first son and allowing the audience to understand how the family’s grief has shaped their lives.

Wanliss began writing the story in 2023, with production taking place in May 2025, and post-production completed in December of that year. The film features actors Quera South, Donovan Reid, Gabriel Haye, Sekai Smart-McCaulay, Jeff Crossley, and Everaldo Creary, whose performances bring the family’s emotional journey to life.

However, Wanliss said the story was not created simply as an exercise in film-making. It was inspired by witnessing the very real pain of someone close to her.

“At the heart of it is watching a friend of mine losing her son and the impact of it. Seeing what she went through and how that loss affected her and the family made me think deeply about grief and the different ways people experience it. I wanted to explore what happens after the funeral, after everyone goes home and the world expects you to continue living. The pain doesn’t simply disappear. It follows you into ordinary moments, into memories, and into the decisions you have to make every day,” Wanliss said.

Through Bright Sparks, Wanliss explores the reality that grief is not experienced in one particular way. It can manifest itself through memories, anger, sadness, fear, guilt, and even the determination to keep moving forward for those who remain.

The film also highlights the complicated position of a parent who is grieving one child while trying to remain emotionally present for another.

In that way, the film speaks to the theme of healing in the aftermath not as a complete recovery from pain but as the difficult process of learning to live with loss while still finding reasons to move forward.

The Lens of Legacy Award went to Smile, directed by Jordan Morris, another film rooted in personal experience and family history.

The story centres on inheritance and false teeth, drawing from a true experience within Morris’ own family. With a comedic touch, the film-maker revisits memories of his grandparents and uses humour to explore how family stories can remain with us long after the people at the centre of them are gone.

The film features Jayce Lewis, Jeff Crossley, and Du-Vaughn Burke.

While the subject matter may initially appear light-hearted, Smile carries a deeper message about memory, family patterns, and the lessons that can be passed from one generation to the next.

Morris uses the story to reflect on the mistakes of previous generations and the importance of learning from them rather than repeating them. For the film-maker, the process of revisiting the past is also part of reclaiming power over experiences that may once have been difficult to confront.

“It is healing in the aftermath, claiming back the power and approaching the problem in a different way. Sometimes healing means being able to look back at something that happened to you or your family and realising that you don’t have to carry it in the same way forever. You can learn from the mistakes, understand where they came from, and make a conscious decision not to recreate them,” Morris said.

The comedic approach allows Smile to explore serious themes without becoming weighed down by them. Instead, Morris uses humour and family memories to create a story that encourages audiences to reflect on how the past influences the present.

The film’s exploration of inheritance extends beyond physical possessions. It considers the emotional and behavioural patterns that families can pass down as well as the ability of individuals to decide what they will carry forward and what they will leave behind.

Together, Bright Sparks and Smile demonstrate the range of stories that can emerge when film-makers are given the freedom to explore mental health, grief, family experiences, and healing through their own cultural and personal lenses.

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com