Dead Serious
From the Archives
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Comedy, Short Films, 04-Feb-2026
A mother surprises her adult children with a trip to the cemetery where she wants to be buried. Lizi Latimer and Myriam Schroeter direct “Dead Serious,” a dramatic comedy reckoning with mortality and family ethnicity. The bickering millennial siblings Liv and Matt wait for their mom in the car. When she arrives, Debbie changes the plans—setting route to a Jewish cemetery where she’s preemptively purchased a burial plot. The siblings, raised by their mom as Buddhists, have a hard time wrapping their heads around the sudden desire to shift cultural identities. The trio of performers capture a convincing family dynamic with sharp characterizations and quick-witted squabbling. When the mother snaps back at her children, we reach a monologue of unexpected poignancy. -JM. Directors: Lizi Latimer & Myriam Schroeter. Cast: Jessica Hecht, Elise Kibler, Zane Pais. Director of Photography: Alexander Dynan. Editor: Amandine Thomas. Producer: Raven Jensen. Production Designer: Carol Kim. Costume Designer: Lizzie Donelan. Sound Designer: M.B. Al-Rahim.
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