“One can live for years without living at all, and then all life comes crowing into one single hour.” — Vera, or the Nihilist.

I chose this story as a thank-you note to a time, a place, and a found family. I hope someone might recognize a person they love, relate to these characters, and feel the spark that once made them brave. I’m drawn to that lightning-in-a-bottle—moments that quietly shape us. As Susan Sontag said, fiction is an axe that splits you open. I hope this film can be someone’s axe, a guide to trying, loving, and losing.