Filmmaker Statement

We were first drawn to Aaron Paulk’s balance of independence and interdependence, how he moves through his world with strength, and also vulnerability. Early on he shared, “I’m more comfortable in the ocean than on land” which became the center of our creative focus. We wanted to avoid the familiar arc of a “hero’s journey,” where adversity is overcome and things are tied up neatly with a bow by the end. Instead, we leaned into ambiguity. We aimed to create space for questions, contradictions, and the ever-evolving relationship humans have with change and uncertainty. After a fire devastated Aaron’s community, what emerged was a story of adaptation and a renewed relationship to uncertainty. Not just to Aaron’s vision loss, but to grief, displacement, and impermanence. After trauma, time rarely moves in a straight line. So our arc was no longer linear. Instead, we followed our instinct to allow our story to unfold like a wave-emotional and alive.