recollection

What if you couldn’t remember the worst thing that’s ever happened to you?

Or the worst thing you’ve ever done?

“Recollection” is an upcoming short film written by Ariel Hartzman and produced by Robert De Leon. It follows George, a retired father, who’s in denial of his youngest daughter’s accusations that he violently abused her and her sister when they were children. But his older daughter’s monster film screening triggers a flashback in George, revealing the ugly truth behind an incident from her childhood and shattering George’s glowing delusion of his family’s past.

“Recollection” deals with themes of trauma and the nature of repressed memories—no matter how hard you try to forget them, they will inevitably come back into the light.

Ariel wrote “Recollection” as a way of processing her own childhood trauma and complex relationship with a parent. She and her team hope this film connects with others who have endured similar struggles and help start difficult, yet overdue conversations between parents and their children.