For years I’ve dreamt of making a sort of character study inspired by a childhood friend named Frankie who has an intellectual disability. Frankie’s well-known and loved in my small Michigan hometown. We still keep in touch, and he recently told me the story of his first night alone in his own apartment after 27 years living at home with his mom. I loved the idea of a fresh take on the “kid moving into college dorm” trope; a slice of life set against this quietly momentous day in Frankie’s (and his mom’s) journey. Coming from a predominantly documentary background, my partner Rayka Zehtabchi and I are really inspired by the gray area between documentary and narrative, and we saw an opportunity to experiment here. The film is very much a narrative but I hope the documentary approach to shooting, editing and casting lends it a heightened quality of truth and authenticity.

Sam Davis is an LA-based filmmaker and director of photography. His photography has screened at world-class film festivals including Sundance, SXSW and Tribeca, and on major streaming platforms such as Netflix and Hulu. Sam is best-known for his work on the 2019 Academy Award-winning documentary Period. End of Sentence.. He is a member of IATSE Local 600.