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Following a terminal cancer diagnosis, Sister Úna—a smoking, drinking, wisecracking Catholic nun dedicated to mentoring teens—chooses to live life to the fullest in the face of death. The self-proclaimed “leader of the misfits” takes on her last nine months by planning her funeral, tackling her bucket list, and teaching us that death isn’t the end of our story.
PAR PAREKH, DIRECTOR
Named one of "25 Screenwriters to Watch" by Austin Film Festival, Par Parekh is an Indian American filmmaker working in both nonfiction and narrative film. Par was co-writer and producer of Glory at Sea!, winner of the Wholphin Best Short Film Award at SXSW and named one of The Greatest Films of All Time by Everything Everywhere All At Once director Daniel Scheinert for British Film Institute / Sight and Sound.
Par’s filmmaking has taken him all over the world, from Haitian disaster zones and New Orleans second lines to Himalayan peaks and Icelandic archaeological digs. His comedic short The Happy premiered at SeriesFest and has been described by Film Daily as “a good laugh for anyone who’s lost,” with “honest and personal charm.” Commercial work includes spots for Beyoncé, Willie Nelson, Bergdorf Goodman, and Neiman Marcus.
His funeral should involve a comedy roast, dancing in the streets, and lots of chocolate chip cookies for everyone.
ALI HART, PRODUCER
Ali Hart is a documentary, comedy and impact producer. Recently, she developed and pitched projects with Above Average, Abso Lutely and Gimlet Media/Spotify.
Her digital comedy credits include The Glue Factory, an NFT-based, animated series, and Heron and the Hen, which screened at SeriesFest 2022. On the doc side, she produced a short on immigrants called American Haze for Sundance Now, as well as a 5-part documentary web series called Spotlight California for billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer.
Earlier in her career, she managed comedians and developed true stories into original movies for Court TV. Her work is featured in the book A Comedian and an Activist Walk Into a Bar: The Serious Role of Comedy in Social Justice (2020).
Ali would like people to attend her funeral wearing costumes and belly-laughing.
Edited by Ann Rose & Chris McNabb
Music by Nathan Halpern
Cinematography by Hope Hall & Matty Neikrug
Hand-drawn Illustration & Animation by Adrianne Nina
2D & 3D Animation Motive Made Studios
WHAT CAN I DO?
HAVE CONVERSATIONS — talking to friends and loved ones about death and dying helps lessen fear and anxiety.
PLAN YOUR OWN FUNERAL — help loved ones give you the celebration you wanted at a time when they’re grieving your loss and struggling.
WRITE YOUR WILL — make clear plans for what happens to your possessions and assets while you’re still alive.
CREATE ADVANCE DIRECTIVES — a document that allows you to decide what happens to you if you cannot make decisions about your medical care, and how you want your body to be handled after death.
SHARE THE FILM — Sister Úna eases us into these difficult conversations with humor and honesty, so host a screening with some friends and family.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
End Well — a wonderful nonprofit organization with a podcast and lots of helpful guides and testimonials.
The Order of the Good Death — a repository of great resources, including a “Death Bill of Rights” and Funeral Cost Planning.
Death Cafe — look for death cafes in your area to discuss all things end of life.
Reimagine — they host community-driven events surround loss and mortality.
Dead and Buried — Sister Úna’s former student Curly Velasquez hosts this PBS show exploring society’s relationship with death.
Harold and Maude — a classic Hal Ashby dark comedy about death and friendship, and one of Sister Úna’s favorite movies.