over
a short film by Ellie Kline, Lyn Nguyen and Eryn Tucker shot on 16mm Kodak VISION3 500T/7219
When she becomes pregnant unexpectedly, recently-bereaved young adult Greta is caught between unresolved grief and the pull of her own future. The work of mourning is never done, but hope is the thing with feathers—Greta feels the steady pain of an absence while living in the joyful advent of her child’s arrival. As the baby grows, so does Greta, who comes to understand that loss is not lived past, but lived with.
Director’s note
The protagonist of Over is a woman with big feelings and no confidant. As a filmmaker, I am the rare woman allowed a bullhorn. Her outlet may be unorthodox, but Greta’s need to be heard is universal. During production, our pitch often fell on deaf ears. “Where is the father?” they asked, or they labeled Greta “crazy, lazy, unlikeable, and childish.”
I’m glad Eryn, Lyn, and I insisted on showing our hearts. As a result, the character has a rare specificity, an exacting honesty, which rings absolutely true to my understanding of mourning, motherhood, and the work of growing up.