Parents Esther (Lindsey Garrett) and Kevin (Tyler McKenzie Cook) are grieving their son. He is missing, and they fear the worst. After neither of them picked him up on time after baseball practice, he was nowhere to be found. Esther combs the streets, putting up missing posters everywhere she can. Kevin has started attending group counseling. Their life is a shambles, and there’s very little left for them to discuss without grief and resentment creeping in. Their marriage is forever changed, and their family is forever broken. GRIEF is about one night that will turn their lives into even more of a nightmare than it already is — more horrific than they’ve ever imagined. When does mourning your child turn into something much more insidious?

GRIEF is a shocking picture of the deepest pains we as humans can experience. The nuance and subtlety of GRIEF make it worth a watch, and rewatch, and rewatch again. It’s one of those films where you’ll pick up a new detail every time. Nothing is telegraphed or laid out explicitly – it is left to the audience to choose what is real and what is the blinding sadness and sorrow clouding Esther and Kevin’s vision. I appreciate the way this film doesn’t hand you anything, (I, like the late great Tony Stark, do not like to be handed things), but rather allows you to walk this dark and twisted path on your own. As someone blessed with online screeners (and GRIEF is available on ALTER’s youtube page for viewing now) I watched this film three times through and came to three slightly different conclusions. There is immense power behind the mystery of GRIEF.

Garrett in particular gives a beautiful and raw performance as Esther. Her emotions bubble over in every frame. Her heartache is our lighthouse in this dark and atmospheric journey. Cook matches her blow for blow, and their chemistry and their brokenness both play perfectly. They’re able to raise the stakes with the smallest of looks and the simplest of gestures. 

GRIEF clocks in at 13 minutes, and undoubtedly has the potential to be much more. However, those 13 minutes are wrought, and heavy, and perfectly utilized. I love seeing a short film that knows exactly what it is, and GRIEF knows the truth, no matter how long you try to avoid it.

6/10 stars