GRIEF
Kelly Cochran-Yzquierdo
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LOGLINE
LGBTQ+ Drama Short Film
Following the sudden, suspected suicide of her wife, a grieving widow must navigate the shattering weight of her loss while facing a tense confrontation with her conservative mother-in-law over her late wife's remains.
SYNOPSIS
The story opens in the deafening silence of a hospital waiting room at 2:00 AM. Clare sits alone, receiving a plastic bag containing the personal effects of her wife, Samantha: a phone, a wallet, and a gold wedding band severed in half. Among the items is a locket containing photos of the couple, which Clare cherishes before leaving the hospital to return to an empty, silent home.
As Clare struggles to cope—flushing Samantha’s antidepressants down the toilet and sleeping in a fetal position—she is bombarded by aggressive text messages from Janice, Samantha’s estranged, conservative mother. Janice, furious that Clare had Samantha cremated, demands possession of the locket.
Through flashbacks, the script reveals the deterioration of Samantha’s mental health, torn between her love for Clare and the pressure from Janice, who weaponized religion to guilt her daughter.
A police report eventually confirms Clare’s worst fears: the brakes were not deployed during the crash, ruling the death a suspected suicide. Clare meets Janice at a hotel, where they argue violently behind soundproof glass.
Later, seeking a resolution, Clare separates Samantha’s ashes into two urns. When Janice arrives at the house, Clare leaves a small urn and the locket on the foyer table for her. Janice takes them and leaves.
Alone once more, Clare locks the door, slides to the floor, and finally breaks the silence with a primal, agonizing scream.
WRITER / DIRECTOR ARTISTIC STATEMENT
Through From the Fringe Entertainment, my goal is to craft narratives that amplify underrepresented voices and explore the raw, unfiltered realities of the human experience. Grief is an intensely personal exploration of love, loss, and the devastating intersections of identity and familial expectation. By centering the story on Clare's silent, suffocating mourning and her confrontation with Samantha's fundamentalist mother, the film strips away the polished veneer of grief. It forces us to look at the collateral damage left in the wake of unresolved religious conflict and mental health struggles. This short film is designed to be an intimate, claustrophobic journey that focuses on the quiet moments of a shattered life, ultimately building to a singular, necessary release of emotion.
Kelly Cochran-Yzquierdo, MFA
Kelly is an award-winning screenwriter, producer, and the founder of From the Fringe Entertainment. Established in 2023, her production company is dedicated to giving a platform to underrepresented voices in Hollywood, with a specific focus on allowing LGBTQ+, women, and BIPOC filmmakers to tell authentic stories. A seasoned educator, Kelly currently serves as a Professor of English at Oklahoma City Community College following a distinguished seventeen-year tenure at Northern Virginia Community College. She holds an MFA in Writing for Film and Television from Emerson College. Kelly’s accolades include being a 2023-4 Stowe Story Labs Participant, and winning a New York Script Award for Best TV Pilot and the Richmond International Film Festival for Best Original Drama Screenplay.
Stowe Story Labs alumni can initiate an application for fiscal agency here.
