The Five Stages to Joy explores the quiet, nonlinear journey of grief through the eyes of a teenage girl learning how to live again after losing her father. I wanted to tell a story that doesn’t dramatize loss, but instead lingers in the stillness that follows it, the silence, the small daily victories, and the fragile return to joy.

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This film is deeply personal to me because it reflects both; the loss of my father at the age of fifteen, and the universal experience of loss, not just of a person, but of self, routine, and connection. Through visual storytelling, minimal dialogue, and shifting tones, I aimed to capture how grief and healing can coexist.

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I chose to shoot the film in a 2.39 aspect ratio because it is a traditional cinematic format, and I view this story as a drama that deserves that kind of cinematic space. I made intentional choices in colour based on emotion rather than realism, allowing the visual tone to shift alongside the internal emotional states of Freya. The film moves through many different sets and locations, which also represent the many different stages that exist within grief. I was especially drawn to nature, using it as a recurring visual presence to emphasize the beauty and colour of life that can feel destructed when faced with loss.

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The Five Stages to Joy is not about death, but about rediscovering life. It’s about finding light in ordinary moments like stepping outside, laughing again, and realizing that even after immense pain, joy can return, quietly and honestly.

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Shot on RED

Edited on avid media composer

COLOuRED on DaVinci Resolve