JULIE PELEY
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY .
EDITOR .
PHOTOGRAPHER .
After Mountains
Written & Directed by Julie Peley
"After Mountains" is the story of the young Ellie, who meets Noah, another kid of her age, while visiting her sick grandpa at the hospital with her mom. Through a child's eyes, this short will explore the themes of grief, as well as intergenerational conflicts and misunderstanding that can occur while facing a family crisis.
Trailer
A life without vulnerability is a life without emotion
A little girl finally learns about the importance of human connection, trust and vulnerability when she befriends a sick young boy living in a hospital.
Ellie is ten years old when she lost her grandpa. She was also ten when she met Noah. And this is their story. A journey taking place in the most unfriendly place a child could ever find themselves: a hospital.
We are telling the story of loss, grief and trust. A story though which we will explore what it feels like to be a child in an adult world, between the fear of not being told the truth and being left aside when parents want to protect us a little too much.
In the end, Ellie will understand that there is no ”right way to feel” or to express her feelings. She accepts that she can be herself, and that “being normal” doesn’t really exist.
Age does not allow you to understand better the depth of emotions.
This story is based on my personal history and what happened to my family and myself when I was a child. The loss of my grandpa was the most traumatizing and learning experience of my life, and I want to bring the audience’s attention on how to deal with children’s emotions while experiencing such a hard and complex situation to comprehend.
Part of the story also comes from what my best friend experienced as a kid, meeting this friend in a hospital. This very intense and powerful friendship that she described to me touched me immensely and I wanted to translate it in a film, showing how impactful someone can be in your life, and how subtle and beautiful feelings can be between young people, who don't necessarily understand the way the adult world works.
I believe that I have a very strong vision for this story, through which I really want us to see through the eyes of Ellie, how she perceives her environment, and how different it can be from an adult's perspective.
