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Logline

Each year, Robert forces his family to rehearse his funeral, of which he is the writer, director and star. This year has reached a new level of absurdity, staged beneath a 200 foot-long painting of the Crucifixion and complete with hired mourners and scripted eulogies. As his physical state deteriorates under the weight of the production, his estranged wife shows up to give an unscripted eulogy while Robert listens, breathless, from inside his own casket.

Synopsis

Inside a cavernous cathedral on the grounds of a cemetery, Robert directs an elaborate rehearsal of his own funeral. Stagehands work to realize his vision while an aggrieved Stage Manager keeps him on schedule. Time is limited.

Meanwhile, just outside, leaf blowers whine, trucks idle in the parking lot, and a pallbearer hits his vape — the mundane world continuing despite Robert’s theatrical death.

Robert’s children, Cami and Ethan, begrudgingly hit their marks, doing the bare minimum. They give rote readings of pre-written eulogies as their father gives notes in real time. When Cami walks out mid-eulogy, Robert struggles to regroup.

Throughout the rehearsal, Robert’s appearance deteriorates — pallid, gaunt, breath shortening —his fear of mortality manifesting physically. Backstage, beneath a second giant painting of the Resurrection, Robert is deep in confession to The Priest — he’s not a bad person, he swears, all of this is an expression of love for those he’ll leave behind. The Priest finally cuts him off: “Bro, I’m not a real priest.”

Realizing his message hasn’t been getting across, Robert decides that if funerals are for the living, he’ll remove the glaring reminder of the dead. Next take: closed casket.

When his estranged wife Sarah finally appears, she delivers a barnburner of a eulogy. Sweating inside the casket, Robert is forced to hear how his obsession has dominated their lives. Yet when she accepts him without judgment, Robert is overwhelmed by the power of being truly seen and loved. Heart pounding, breath ragged, he throws open the casket, gasping into the blinding light above. But this time, it may not be pretend.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Matt Ippolito — Director/Producer
Matt is an award-winning producer and actor whose work has premiered at Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca, and SXSW. His credits include the Oscar-nominated shorts Lifeboat and Hunger Ward, the Oscar-shortlisted feature documentary On Her Shoulders, Sundance’s Flee, Netflix’s #1 movie White Hot, HBO’s Breath of Fire, and the narrative feature Best Man Dead Man, starring Molly Bernard, among more than 20 films and series across documentary and narrative. As an actor, he got his start in live theater, including improv and clown, and has since performed in multiple narrative film projects. He has built production companies from the ground up, including LA-based studio SecondNature, and served as COO of the Emmy-winning film studio RYOT, bringing both creative vision and operational rigor to independent storytelling.

Lauren Herstik — Writer/Producer
Lauren is a Peabody Award–winning writer and producer working across scripted and documentary TV and film. Her work on Netflix’s American Vandal earned a Peabody Award and a WGA Award nomination, and her work on FX’s The New York Times Presents received an Emmy nomination. She wrote and produced the original pilot Camp Friends for HBOmax.

Katie Marovitch — Lead Actor
Katie Marovitch is a comedy writer and actor. She wrote, directed, and acted in five seasons of Reality Check, a weekly YouTube series for FOXtv. Her short film Waffle premiered in Narrative Competition at SXSW, played at over 60 festivals worldwide, and won multiple awards, including Best Actress and Best Writing. It was a Vimeo Staff Pick and selected for Short of The Week. For years, Katie was a cast member at CollegeHumor where she wrote and starred in hundreds of sketches–many of which got millions of views and ranked in the top 10 on YouTube Trending. Her sketch I Don’t See Race was Webby nominated and is still discussed in college classrooms. Katie created, wrote, executive produced, and starred in Kingpin Katie, an eight-episode comedy series on the Dropout streaming service. She also created and hosted The Rank Room, a sixteen-episode series also on Dropout. She regularly appears in popular Dropout shows including Game Changer, Breaking News, Smartypants, and Dirty Laundry, and has written for several others, including Make Some Noise and Monét’s Slumber Party.

Cole Ellett — Cinematographer
Cole is a cinematographer working across narrative, documentary, and commercial projects. His work includes HBO’s docuseries Breath of Fire, branded content for Architectural Digest, and narrative shorts that have screened at festivals internationally. He brings a versatile visual style shaped by years shooting both scripted and unscripted content.

Richard Yeagley — Editor/Producer
Richard is a producer and editor specializing in non-fiction storytelling with an emphasis on unfettered access, distinctive narratives, and authenticity. His work has appeared on Vice, The New Yorker, Hulu, PBS, and NPR across projects ranging from feature documentaries to branded content.

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Contact

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