Shot in reverse chronological order so that each new joy is an unsettling experience of not remembering the past, Kirsten and Mark start making memories together as Kristen’s mother slowly loses hers to Alzheimer’s.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

“For the majority of my life I have either seen or spoken to my grandmother every day. In the early months of 2020, my grandmother was diagnosed with Dementia and the daily calls stopped. As she worsened, the only pieces I had left of her were older voicemails.

I would play them over and over again to feel as though I could hold on to a past that was slipping out of my grasp. I watched her forget her life and came to terms with the unsettling reality of being the only one left to house our memories. Like Kirsten, I too wish to hold on to moments that are unrecoverable and understand the pain of being forgotten by the ones you love.

Originally inspired by an article about regenerative abilities in flatworms and the article’s speculation that this research could eventually be used to heal both the bodies and memories of humans, Immutable Uncertainties explores the relationship between the present and memory. The story, which originated as a short play by Callan Stout, complicates the early years of a romantic relationship with a daughter's quest to preserve her mom’s deteriorating memory.

The film progresses in reverse chronological order, as we experience Kirsten and Mark’s relationship and the decisions that lead to their present. While the audience gets more context into the complexities of Kirsten and Mark’s relationship, we have the unsettling experience of watching them increasingly become strangers. This reverse experience of time mirrors Kirsten's mother’s progression with Alzheimer’s disease.

As Kirsten gains clarity of her happy memories with her Mom through a home video from her childhood, we also know the pain she is soon to face. We see the joy Kirsten has in simply being remembered, and the grief she experiences in being forgotten.”

-Director, Arielle Friedman