Broken Dolls (2022) was conceptualized as a process of heartbreak, an examination of grief. I wanted to portray stages one experiences with loss, betrayal, and denial. Expectations and resolutions are not always what they seem, and I wanted to weave that truth into the film’s narrative structure and make something that felt very visceral, abstract, yet real. 

The story follows a woman struggling to find an output for her grief. It’s a moment-by-moment set up, but the journey is percolated with time jumps, lapses in cohesion and clarity due to her moments of dissociation. Claire is processing the past in real time. 

To accurately convey the emotional needs of the story, I knew that the narrative could and should play with time and space, the emotional flaw of memory, and how untrustworthy it can be. Agony alters perception. I’m fascinated by the fact that our memories can be corrupted by a shift in our world views or emotional fragility.

Broken Dolls is my first foray into narrative driven avant-garde storytelling. It’s a cinematic exploration revolving around the hardships and fallibility of love and loss.  The film’s themes on grief are timeless and a fundamental part of the human experience.

Ultimately, I wanted to tell a human story that is relatable, haunting, and poignant. While some shy away from such stories, I admire these moments most of all. This is my love letter to loss.