Filmmaker Statement

I met Philli during our university days, long before the tragic loss of her brother—a young musician in our community, whose life was tragically taken by a senseless act of drunk driving. Years later, when I reconnected with Philli through her artwork, I witnessed something extraordinary. She had taken the overwhelming grief of her brother’s passing and channeled it into a deeply personal and intricate form of healing. Her work with taxidermy, reclaiming roadkill and breathing life into these creatures as dignified, almost mythical characters, is more than just art. Each piece she creates is a tribute—not only to the animals she lovingly restores but also to her brother. Through this art, Philli engages in a quiet yet profound act of rebellion against the carelessness that claimed his life, stitching together fragments of her soul in the process. But Philli’s story is only one part of this narrative. Her mother, Caro, embodies the other side of this journey—a woman who, in the face