From Omeleto.
A young girl lives on her own.
SURVIVED BY is used with permission from K.D. Chalk. Learn more at https://kdchalk.com.
Grace is a newly orphaned girl grieving the recent loss of her father. Living on her own in the home they once shared, Grace has managed to elude being put into the foster system. But when a truancy officer proves persistent, she finds herself facing the possibility that she may have to leave her home, once and for all.
Grace is stuck and unable to move forward, pushing people away for fear of being discovered. But with the help of a kind neighbor and the sock puppet that her father used to delight and entertain her, she finds her way.
Directed and written by K.D. Chalk, this poignant short drama takes on the difficult, somber subjects of grief and isolation from a child’s perspective. But it also infuses the storytelling with Grace’s whimsy and imagination to explore how a child processes the loss of an imperfect parent, using tools of play, art and storytelling to achieve some semblance of healing. This layer of fantasy adds a certain magic and charm, making for a moving and wondrous film.
We meet Grace at a point of disorder, just days after her father’s loss. She is alone in the home, fending for herself and dodging discovery, though a kind neighbor helps her out, as much as Grace will allow. But beyond Grace’s desire to avoid yet another cataclysmic personal loss and life transition, she stays home because it’s the last concrete link she has to her father. Grace’s relationship with her dad was not stable, and her loss is not just of her relationship with him as it was, but what it could have been in the future, making for an achingly incomplete feeling. Young performer Kiarra G. Beasley gives Grace an appealing innocence and spark, but layers it with fear, anxiety and sorrow, giving voice and movement to a young girl grappling with feelings that are almost too big for her to process.
How Grace begins to resolve these feelings forms the crux of the narrative. Much of the beginning of the short has the visual look and feel of a muted naturalism, but as Grace picks up the puppet that her father played with when they were together, the storytelling shifts into a more colorful, fanciful mode, as the puppet comes to life, with the voice of Grace’s father. It’s a delightful, fantastical sequence that wouldn’t be out of place in a Jim Henson production, full of light, sparkle and song, and it feels soothing and magical for both Grace and the film’s viewers, as she brings her father back to life in the only way she can.
It also allows her one last special, loving moment with her dad, one where she can acknowledge the difficulties of their relationship but also remember the love that was there as well. This revelation — and the way we balance wistful regret with gratitude — is really the resonant message of SURVIVED BY, along with its conviction that art, magic and storytelling are essential to the healing process and the human experience. For all his faults, Grace’s father taught her the power of creativity and imagination — and with those tools, she can find the courage and strength to face the future.
