Actual Life

This film was largely inspired by individuals I knew personally, as well as two very specific songs. First was Sam, a friend of mine, who absolutely radiated positivity and joy. She had a certain magic to her that made her bold, beautiful, and wildly courageous. She was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, never smoked a cigarette and not only an avid yogi she also taught yoga, aka healthy as F. It was shocking. I miss her, and I think of her often. Whenever I feel the pressure of life becoming too strong, I think of Sam, and her strength, and the joy  & light that radiated from her that could never be dimmed. 

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I met my brother's friend Adam's wife; Maria, at my brother's wedding. Wow that's a bit of a twister. She was another young, vibrant, beautiful woman who's energy uplifted an entire room. The kind of woman who's heart shines through with the intensity of a desert sun. They got married while she was sick, and the love  between them was something I could only admire, barely able to fathom how they navigated union and loss at the same time.

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I love music. It is incredibly fascinating to me how something you listen to, can completely alter your mood and energy. I became obsessed with the two songs linked above; Fred Again's "Angie" and The Bahamas "Lost in the Light" and listened to these songs on repeat while writing this script (and re-writing it, and re-writing it, and re-writing it... you get the point) but these two songs got me into such a flow state, the story just poured out.