This past weekend I attended the awesome Flyway Film Festival in Pepin, Wisconsin and had a chance to catch a couple of great docs, one of which was a very personal little film called Absence/Presence by first time filmmaker Jed Schlegelmilch. It chronicles the director’s attempt to make sense of the suicide of his brother John, nearly seventeen years after the tragic event. It’s comprised mostly of sit-down interviews with family members and friends directly involved in the events and makes for a pretty intense emotional experience for both the audience and the filmmaker.

Absence/Presence never feels like it’s capitalizing on a personal tragedy as an excuse to make a film. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite. The project plays more like a therapeutic exercise for Jed that’s only secondarily intended to play to audiences outside of immediate family and friends. In a way, it’s almost like a glorified home movie, capturing the tough process of facing some heavy memories and making an effort to openly talk about something that has been been left unresolved. If you’re a fan of intimate and personal documentary filmmaking, Absence/Presence is the film for you.

For more information on how you can see the film, visit the absence/presence official website. While you’re at it, head over to SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) and make a donation!