Filmmaker Statement

It is an incredibly terrifying notion, losing control over one's memory. ‘Dirtskin’ explores the tension of death and memory loss by throwing a character into a bizarre/unexplainable situation that defies any sense of logic or reason — trapping the audience from the perspective of an unreliable narrator and exploring the very blurred line between losing a person and losing the memory of a person. Shortly after my grandfather passed from Alzheimer's complications, my mother was diagnosed with early on-set dementia. Memory has long been a central theme in my work, but this short film serves as a deeper exploration of the profound impact of memory loss. It examines the essence of identity in the absence of memory—whether one becomes hollow and lifeless or reverts to the emotional imprints of childhood trauma. At its core, this film is about the strain that caregiving places on familial relationships, revealing the complex and often unspoken dynamics that emerge in the face of decline.