Suburban RED
These images illustrate the autobiographical aspect of the project. I had decided early on that the film would make use of the bedroom as a space of change and of fantasy while the rest of the house that my mother lived in would be portrayed just as it was in life. This allowed for the blend of the film genres - narrative film and documentary.
The top photograph is of my mother asleep on the loveseat sofa where she would spend much of the days in her final years. It was her perch of sorts.
In the second photographic still, a typical moment from life is captured through artifice, as I often would work out my arms while watching a program on the television with my mother. In this case, the elderly parent is the character's father (also played by me and combined through split screen technique).
Living with my mother allowed me to study her movements and her gestures and bring them to the parent character. This type of observation for the film actually helped me to also care for my mother as her mobility started to decline in years and I was able to notice the little changes in her and figure out what kinds of changes needed to be made for her care. It also allowed for a Gestalt experience where I was able to build a sensitivity to her while preparing myself for understanding my own aging process.