Film details

Synopsis

We first meet 5 year-old Julia as she is dressing up, and in the next scene, she watches her coffin being lowered into the ground. She’s brought under the care of her Uncle Jack, a young 25 year-old who is shaken by the sudden responsibility of being a ‘godfather’. As they drive back from the funeral, a huge orange landmark glows in the distance and Jack is struck by a memory.  He tells Julia how he and her mother used to go there as kids, and that Dr. Julep’s magic potion was supposed to “make sick people better”. When they pull up and order food, Julia tells the cashier that ‘her mommy is in the sky” and without her uncle Jack realizing, she runs off, leaving him in an utter panic. As she move up the levels of the structure she finds solace in the idea of her mother being at the top, where a large hole leads to the sky. Meanwhile, Uncle Jack is given the breathing room to break down and grieve.

Credits
Screenplay and direction : Alana Cymerman
Image : Benoit Beaulieu
Editing: Sophie Farkas-Bolla
Sound conception: Frédéric Lavigne

Art direction: Yola Van Leeuwenkamp
Production : Michael Solomon

Financial partners

SODEC

Technicolor

Bell Media

Radio-Canada

Direction

Alana Cymerman

Alana spent several years working in Montreal’s film industry with the likes of such internationally renowned directors as: Denys Arcand, Steven Spielberg, Frank Oz, Todd Haynes and François Girard. Inspired by the skills she learned from them, she was driven to work on her own projects with other young talent in Montreal. She was chosen to participate in the 10th year anniversary of the Women in the Director’s Chair Workshop in Banff under mentor Léa Pool and to participate in the prestigious Talent Lab at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Alana self-produced/financed her first short film, Room Tones, and went on to direct an episode of Women Warriors for CBC/WTN. Then, she went on directing three short films, When Erma made Herman (2006), The Perfect vacuum (2010) and Julia Julep (2014).

 

Filmography

Julia Julep (2014 / 8 min 26)

The Perfect Vacuum (2010 / 6 min)

An Unremarkable Question (2007 / 3 min)

When Erma made Herman (2006 / 15 min 40)