Table of Contents
Three Key Takeaways
- Last Resort is a deeply personal exploration of grief, memory, and family, blending archival home videos with contemporary footage.
- The film’s creative genesis was spontaneous—capturing a family trip with no initial plan, later shaped into a visual essay and structured narrative.
- Bren Cukier embraces independent filmmaking’s freedom and community spirit, using personal storytelling as a powerful bridge to universal themes.
Polish-American writer and director Bren Cukier brings a moving and intimate portrait of family and memory to TRC Shorts Fest with her short film Last Resort. Featuring a blend of archival home videos and footage from a recent family trip, the film recounts a father’s early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis through the lens of nostalgia and grief. Alongside producer Rachel Hawatmeh and executive producers Stevie Borrello and John Geraghty, Cukier invites audiences to witness a story that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Q&A Interview
What drew you to make this film? Why this story, and why now?
In the summer of 2024, my father was officially diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Just a week later, my family returned to a resort in Mexico we had visited as children 25 years ago. I brought my camera along because, like many filmmakers, I often process life through the lens. By the end of the trip, I realized I wasn’t just documenting a family vacation, I was capturing our family's grief in real time as we adjusted to the idea that we were losing our father. Shortly after this, on a whim I began weaving together the footage I shot from the recent trip to Mexico with home videos my father had taken of us there as kids. The contrast was immediate and profound and ultimately led to this short film being made.
"Last Resort has allowed me to share my own story and explore my continuous grief in the only way I know how...through film."
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time—creatively or logistically? Was there a moment on set or in post that completely changed how you saw the story?
Since I didn't have any intention for the footage when I was shooting on the trip, I was definitely more surprised in post. I simply started playing around by juxtaposing the recent footage at Club Med with our home videos and the parallel became obvious.
"I started to edit more of a visual essay than a film, but when I shared it with my producer Rachel, she immediately saw the potential for a greater, more structured story."
Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you—something only you could have made?
This film includes so many moments that feel the "most me" - largely because there is footage of me from my childhood! While usually I cringe when watching myself as a kid, this time I realized those moments are some of the most authentic in the film and the story wouldn't hit as deeply without them.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?
Deciding where and when to disclose my father's wishes to be euthanized was a big challenge in the edit. We wanted to use it as a climax/reveal, but at the same time without that context from the top the rest of the film feels less meaningful.
What do you hope audiences take away from your film?
Time is precious. Memories fade. We should all do the best we can to enjoy each and every moment as they happen. That is the most cliche thing I've ever said...but it's true.
How has this film shaped or shifted the kind of stories you want to tell next?
This film broke the seal on my telling my own story, and is now the gateway to developing two different features about my family. I used to think telling my own story was too self-indulgent, but now I understand that the universal is found in the personal.
What’s a tool, technique, or resource that really helped you during production?
My father's obsession with shooting home videos! Had he not documented our family vacations, I'm not sure it would have occurred to me to do so at the same volume. I know for him it was a way to preserve memories for the future. For me, filming during the trip was an attempt to understand the present. Because of this material, the juxtaposition immediately provided a framework for how the film ultimately came together.
Independent filmmakers often rewrite the rules out of necessity. What do you think is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into that on this project? Is there a lesson or breakthrough you’d share with others navigating this path?
Having full creative freedom, working only with the people you WANT to work with; this project fully embodied both of those traits. We also had zero budget...so being in independent film is one of few places where people understand that and are willing to work with what you've got!
"Having full creative freedom, working only with the people you WANT to work with; this project fully embodied both of those traits."
What does it mean to you to have your film selected for TRC Shorts Fest?
It is so great to have a local screening to share with our friends and family in LA and to be featured as an emerging female director as I gear up to produce my debut feature.
Where do you see this film going next?
Hopefully we will have a festival run and then use the traction to help further develop the short into a feature over time as the story continues to unfold.
“At the core of all my work is a desire to connect."
Cast & Crew
- Bren Cukier — Director, writer, and Polish-American filmmaker known for her debut narrative short THURSDAY, featured at Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2023. @brencukier
- Rachel Hawatmeh — Rachel is a documentary producer with more than 10 years of experience in nonfiction producing for ABC News (Good Morning America, World News Tonight, 20/20), Lightbox (Tina, Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali, Diagnosis), NBC News Studios (Separated, The Disappearance of Shere Hite, Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11), and Macrofilm (David Blaine: Do Not Attempt). Her projects have premiered at Venice Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival and featured on Netflix, HBO, MSNBC, National Geographic and Peacock. @rachelle.lh
- Stevie Borrello — Executive Producer, native New Yorker with credits including A24, HBO, PBS, and a Gotham award nomination for SNL's "50 Years of Music." @stevieborrello
- John Geraghty — Executive Producer, music and film producer represented by CAA and Forbes 30 under 30 honoree. @mrjohnpatrick
