In five acts, this film illustrates the stages of grief, exploring the language of loss through dance, narrative scenes, and performance art, conveying the complexity of grief in the often wordless way it impacts all our lives.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Bat-Sheva Guez

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

When Robbie Fairchild and I embarked upon this new collaboration, we knew we wanted to make something that was both personal and dark. I was interested in creating a film that was a bit of everything – part dance film, part performance art, part narrative film and part visual art. I felt a desire to create a film that would resonate with viewers, something a bit darker and deeper than my previous work. So, when Robbie said to me, “I’d love to explore a film about grief,” I felt it draw a chord, like a vibration inside that just said, YES.

We spent several weeks hashing out ideas back and forth and then a structure and storyline started to emerge.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

This is a film that illustrates the five stages of grief through dance, performance art, and narrative scenes. It is a film that has had a profound effect on us as we were making it and has resonated with audiences as well.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Grief, as part of the human condition, is a complex and physical experience, an ordeal borne by the heart and mind, a journey through which one’s passage is as universal as it is unique. The experience of grief puts into sharp relief the limits of language to both convey or comfort. “There are no words…”

Sometimes it is only through art or dance that we can best convey the complexity of the grief experience - beyond the boundaries and limitations of language.

With every major loss comes a period of mourning. There is grief for the loss of the person we once were, grief for the loss of the person we had hoped to be, and grief for the loss of the future we had envisioned for ourselves. The passage through this grief is almost like a shedding of old skin, where the older, wiser, hardened version of ourselves must emerge.

A dear friend of mine described this universal process saying, “I have died many times.” She went on to list the major events that shaped her, events after which she would never be the same, after which she mourned so deeply for the loss of her former self, but that also that made her into the person that I love. “That is part of growing up,” she said.

This film depicts the very personal and intimate experience of one man going through this process. Struggling through denial and rage and bargaining and despair, he tries to change himself, to shape himself back into that person that he no longer is. He grieves the loss of his former identity, until finally - he just accepts.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

This was an incredibly collaborative process, one where my co-writer, Robbie Fairchild, worked with me to shape the script and structure, and one where the choreographers each added their own insights and ideas to elevate the art and push each scene to new levels. Never before have I had the opportunity to work with such a large number of incredibly talented individuals, each with their own contributions to add to the story. It meant that there were a lot of revisions and changes to the story and our storytelling methods throughout the whole process, and even during production. It was my job as a director to help keep everything cohesive and to take everyone’s ideas and shape and sculpt and guide the thing into place. It was a thrilling experience to be constantly molding and refining even to the end.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from this film. This film is unique, so it doesn’t resonate with everyone, but for those who do, the reaction to it is visceral, physical, and profound.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I would love for more people to learn about our film. Thank you for including us!

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We are looking for unique avenues to screen this film. We’re hoping to explore some non-traditional screening venues. If you know of any, please let us know! We are also seeking distribution options for the film. We welcome any insight or suggestions.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

Today’s griever spends a lot of time by themselves, alone in the scrolls of social media. When this film is eventually launched, we hope to find them there. To approach them in very personal and private time, to hand them this piece of art, and to say, “you’re not alone.”

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I am seeking financing for a magical realism narrative feature film, entitled And How She. The script has won several awards and my team and I are hoping to bring it to life in 2020.

Navigating a world where the rules don't always make sense and magic is mixed with the mundane, an artist’s assistant must decide: Should she toil as the invisible spark behind another artist's voice? Check us out at www.andhowthemovie.com

Interview: August 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

In This Life

Length: 11:35

Director: Bat-Sheva Guez

Producer: Robbie Fairchild, Bat-Sheva Guez & Jeanette Bonner

Writer: Robbie Fairchild & Bat-Sheva Guez

About the writer, director and producer:

BAT-SHEVA GUEZ is passionate about weaving dance, magic, and experimental techniques into visually compelling, character-driven stories. She has directed over a dozen short films and screened in festivals worldwide including the Hamptons International Film Festival, the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the Brooklyn Film Fest and more. Guez was selected to the New York Stage and Film Screenwriting Lab for her feature script, Anh How She. She also won the JT3 Award for Screenwriting And Directing and was awarded the Write by the Sea Screenwriting Residency from the Lighthouse Film Festival. Her previous short film, Behind The Wall, won screened at over 28 festivals, winning 8 awards including among others, Best Director at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, Best Short Film at the Moondance Film Festival and the Panavision Grant for Best Cinematography at the Rhode Island Int’l Film Festival. Her recent film In This Life, won Best Experimental Film at the Brooklyn Film Festival.

ROBBIE FAIRCHILD made his Tony-nominated Broadway debut in 2015 as Jerry Mulligan in the Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris, which he reprised in London’s West End in 2017. He was awarded the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Theater World, National Dance and Astaire Award for this performance and was nominated for the Evening Standard and Drama League Awards. He is starring in Tom Hooper’s film adaptation of Cats, as well as the new Netflix Series Soundtrack, both being released December 2019. From 2009 to 2017, Fairchild performed as a Principal Dancer with the New York City Ballet.

Key cast: Robbie Fairchild, Martha Nichols, Heather Lang, Michael Rosen, Ryan Steel, Ahmad Simmons, Julien Valme, Rico Lebron, Cassandra Surianello, Kathleen Laituri, Abby Stephensen

Facebook: Adventure Pants

Twitter: @batshevaguez

Instagram: @batshevaguez

Hashtags used: #InThisLifeFilm

Website: batshevaguez.com/project/in-this-life

Other: IMDb

Made in association with: Adventure Pants & Mister Griz Inc

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Rhode Island International Film Festival on August 7th at 6pm. We are working on further screening opportunities