Intimate Short Film Follows Children Coping in Dysfunctional Families

Known for his intimate and emotive storytelling, Fresh Film director Justin Tyler Close gives audiences an intimate look into the way children cope with dysfunction in their families, in his new short film, WHERE THE TIME GOES.  

Written and directed by Justin, the film tells the story of brothers Blaise and Trier, having watched the breakdown of their parents’ marriage, the young brothers attempt to make sense of their new situation – looking to each other for support as their world shifts around them. 

Drawing upon his own life as well the domestic scenes depicted in Carrie Mae Weems’ Kitchen Table Series, and Jeremy Comte’s Fauve and Meryam Joobeur’s Brotherhood. Close captures the nuances of family dysfunction through a child’s eyes. Managing to intimately recreate a childlike perspective on adulthood, which is both painfully real and poetic at the same time. 

Close drives a deep connection to his characters, challenging the usual stereotypes by not villainizing either party, and bringing the intimacy to the surface, enhanced by casting a mother and her sons.  

Said Justin of the film, “WHERE THE TIME GOES is the most personal film I’ve written, based on real events and told through the perspective of my seven-year-old self. In a way, this project has been a pursuit to heal the wounded child that, on occasion, shows up in my life.’

Justin wanted to cast a real family for the film, the search went on for months, but eventually, they found the amazing Lachez, Trier, and Blaise. Danezion, who played the father, was also vital in the casting as Justin didn’t want a stereotypical divorce story, where the father is often portrayed as the enemy and needed the right casting to portray that.