Director's Statement: 

The inspiration for this story struck me during a visit to my grandmother's grave in Goa on All Souls' Day, November 2nd. This day, marked by the tradition of bringing flowers and preparing food for the deceased, was a unique experience for me. Witnessing families—children visiting their grandparents, wives visiting their husbands, and particularly elderly women visiting their late spouses—filled me with a profound sense of loss and love. This was my first experience of such a cultural celebration, and it deeply moved me.

Reflecting on my own grandmothers, who lived over 20 years without their husbands, I felt an intense sadness. This emotion inspired me to write this story. Although the tradition of visiting graves is part of my religion and culture, I chose not to include a cemetery in my film to avoid a religious overtone. Instead, I conceived the idea of carving on a tree, a symbol of permanence in nature, similar to the locks on a bridge.

This story is part of an anthology. The first two parts explore young love and proposals, while mine delves into grief and loneliness. Typically, I work with the same crew due to our established rapport and understanding. However, this time I collaborated with a different team to improve my communication skills. This proved to be more challenging than I anticipated. Learning to adjust and communicate effectively with new people was tough, even though the film was only a short, one-day shoot of about 2-3 minutes.

My preparation for this project was not as thorough as it should have been. I experimented with a new style of shot-listing using just words, which was particularly challenging due to my dyslexia and visual thinking. This method made it difficult for me to visualize the shots and understand the plan on the day of the shoot. To compensate, I decided to film from every possible angle to ensure enough coverage.

Directing the actor was also more difficult than in previous projects. Having not directed for over six months, I felt rusty and less confident in my communication and directing skills. To remedy this, I plan to direct more frequently, at least every other month, to keep my skills sharp.

Before this shoot, I worked intensely in production design for six projects over four months. This focus left my mind preoccupied with production design, often at the expense of other critical aspects like camera work and acting. I recognize the need to balance my attention across all departments to become a more effective director. This project has been a valuable learning experience, helping me understand my strengths and areas for improvement as a director.