Debut: ‘Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart’ The Grief That Keeps On Giving

Grief permanently alters your brain chemistry and might lead anyone to make rash decisions. It is impossible to rank grief, but losing a parent might be the worst one of all. This brings me to Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart, directed by Julian Doan. The film explores what it looks like when you are searching for a way to have one last conversation with a loved one, even if it is in a taboo fashion.

The film starts off with a rather young customer coming into a mini mart with an urn. It is dimly lit, but the clerk is there with a greeting smile and a menu. The customer has to choose a basic package or a premium package. He thinks about it for a while, but with the clerk's persuasion, he chooses the premium. At this point in the film the audience is starting to question what the customer is actually purchasing. The film does an amazing job of dropping the audience right in the middle of the story. It leaves the audience puzzled for a few moments, but it allows the audience to quickly invest in the story. It’s quickly uncovered that the customer is buying one final conversion with his late father. The film does a great job of making this whole interaction feel as taboo as it would be in real life. It is known worldwide that the dead are supposed to stay dead, so this final conversion is not something acceptable to society. This is apparent in the set design, the room to meet your loved one is in the back of the shop, and once you enter, it is nearly dark.

The film furthers the eerie feeling by not letting the audience witness the final conversion. Near the end of the film, it is revealed that the customer did not get to say everything he wanted, and he wanted another chance at a final goodbye, to no avail. This aspect adds to the reality of the situation, there are rarely any final goodbyes, let alone a second final goodbye. The director is also aware of this aspect, “I tend to gravitate to stories where closure and catharsis are elusive or unattainable, which I see as a product of the outsized expectations we place on final goodbyes.” Doan has a deep understanding of the unreasonable expectations that come with closure, and when adding death to the mix, it catalyzes the feeling of loss.

This film is definitely a high-quality short with a clear message that can touch many people. More often than not, people are holding on to a deep feeling of grief and loss; a feeling that one pre/post mortem conversion could fix. However, it is the most human thing in the world to be left with more answers than questions. Even the store clerk is among those who have lost someone dearly beloved.

Through all the cinematography and set design, the most outstanding aspect of this film is the plot. This concept has the potential to become a feature film that would touch the hearts of many in the audience, and if Julian Doan were to expand on this concept, it would continue to capture the hearts of many.