Maribel has been mourning the tragic loss of her mother in the most peculiar way imaginable— by secretly attending the funerals of strangers. After weeks of lying and searching for solace through the grief of others, her inability to move on finally catches up with her.

Director’s Vision for ‘The Mourning Of’

Death.

I’ve always had a bit of a sour relationship when it comes to my fear of death, and The Mourning Of is an attempt at trying to make sense of it. I’m afraid of it, certainly, but this has far less to do with the idea of physical suffering and more to do with the fear of losing my dearest loved ones and how my grief will manifest itself afterwards. This is a fear of the unknown, and what this devastation could look like when pushed to the limit. How will I move on? Do I have the capacity to do so, or will I be paralyzed in a cycle of guilt for even trying?

This film was born out of necessity to answer these questions— both for myself and for those that find themselves at odds with their personal convictions about death and grief. Through Maribel’s journey with grief, my goal was to create a film that reshapes the perceptions we have about death and the ceremony that’s commonly associated with it. It’s an exercise in learning how to resign yourself to the fact that grief is not something you move on from. Rather, it’s something you carry with you for the rest of your life, and making this film is a manifestation of me finally giving into this idea in hopes that others can do the same.