Anecdotes (2022)

A short film diary.

"In August of 2020, Amélie and I were talking about how we had been documenting the pandemic in our own lives; she mentioned the conversations she was having with her family and grandparents in France and what their experiences were during lockdown, as we were processing our own. I suggested, with their permission, that Amélie start recording some of their Facetimes and start filming some of her own moments in lockdown, the details, the way time tells stories through moving slices of light. What stirs in us when everything else is still…

During the darkest days of the pandemic, we turned to ideas as a place to invest, rest, root, and explore. Creation and connection are what sustained us. When Amélie told me her mother was a singer, I asked what songs are most memorable for her and for them together; I listened to some of her mother’s music and was so moved I knew we had to include it. 

The conversations had no prompting outside of the suggestion of singing. Amélie’s recordings and film work in her space took place in 2020 and 2021; with the exception of a walk here and there, we worked remotely. It became a place to play – a feeling of family, care, consolation, laughter, and joy amidst the confusion and anxiety we all faced. Time spent with family, no matter how far away, reveal our deepest truth. We discover pieces of ourselves by observing and learning those we love and together form the anecdotes. If we listen in close, we learn what’s loud when it’s quiet." - Tessa V. Wedberg

Directed by: Amélie Raoul. Story by + Associate Producer: Tessa V. Wedberg. Mixing and Soundtrack: Ben Brodin.