“Final Reprise” is a deeply personal project for me. During my college years, I bore witness to my grandfather's battle with Alzheimer's disease. While he slipped away, I watched my grandmother’s rebirth. At the age of 85, she assumed the role of the 'man of the house,' defying societal constraints that had always limited her. In doing so, she discovered newfound capabilities and passions. However, this awakening was shadowed by guilt and a sense that her joy was intertwined with her husband's suffering. She grappled with questions of responsibility and how to navigate their uncertain future. Was she allowed to find joy at a time of such pain? What did she owe to her husband, and what did she owe to herself? She didn’t have the answer to these questions, and she never wanted me to be in a situation where I would have to ask them. She urged me to embrace the opportunity she did not have—to live for myself.
I made this film to explore how the tragedy of my grandfather's illness brought forth my grandmother's late-life self-discovery. As Ann Marie enters the last act of her life—her final reprise—she begins to rediscover the music that once surrounded her. While the final reprise in theater is often the recurrence of the most impactful song, it often comes with new meaning and a sense of inherent melancholy that accompanies an ending. We worked to reflect this in the score of the film.
Filmed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I chose to shoot the film with a crew that was local, diverse, and predominantly composed of talented women. Depicting a woman’s experience, it was crucial to me that the creative team reflect the narrative we were showcasing. I was honored to work alongside a female producing partner as well as an all-female camera team. Older women have stories worth telling, but they are often overlooked in cinema and in life. CJ Critt (Ann Marie) told me how grateful she was to have this opportunity, as she thought that her days of playing nuanced characters were behind her. Just like Ann Marie, CJ was not yet ready to be cast off. Now she won’t be.
