Written by Cameron Geiser

This short film was brought to my attention by way of an indie filmmaker who used to frequent the same Film Festival as I in Northern Michigan, The Traverse City Film Festival, which sadly no longer exists. I agreed to give Jedo's Dead a watch and review, so here I am. This short follows a young schoolgirl, Julia (A.J. Lister), and her older brother Bobby (Langston Sardella) who get dropped off at their grandfather's after school. She arrives first and lets herself in through the garage to find her grandfather, Jedo (Aramazd Stepanian), still asleep in his bed. Curious.

She tries to wake him up, even pinching his nose shut in which we see her eyes widen with concern. She doesn't know what's happening exactly, but she knows something is wrong. Her brother arrives later after she goes about her day, getting a snack, doing her homework etc. Bobby, only a few years older but clearly with autistic tendencies, attempts to help her sister by praying, singing, and eventually when Bobby also realizes that something is wrong, he calls the cops but can't articulate the problem.

Julia reflects on memories with her grandfather as she attempts to rekindle his spirit. She brings him his favorite snack, she plays old vinyl records they used to dance to together, essentially she handles his death as any small child would, confused and by trying to stir him through past shared experiences. Bobby, clearly frustrated by the whole event, thrashes about in the living room for a moment before joining Julia in their grandfather's room to costume themselves in their grandparents' clothes. Not sure what to do with themselves or their grandfather, they tuck him in, comb his hair, and give him a spray of his cologne. Not long after their mother arrives to pick them up we see the family van abruptly brake in the driveway before backing up, Mom must have heard the kids say Grandpa sure was taking a long nap today.

Jedo's Dead is a perfectly fine short film focusing on how two children handle the death of their grandfather without adult intervention. At about eleven minutes long the short keeps a decent pace as the kids deal with the situation at hand. Writer-director Sara Nimeh does a fine job getting capable performances out of Lister and Sardella, and that alone is a good indicator that she has the juice, so to say. It's good to focus on the little guys in the world of cinema and here's hoping Nimeh and crew bring more stories to screen in the future. It will certainly be interesting to see what they do next!

Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.