
Spanning drama, comedy, documentary, and hybrid genres, these films illuminate the everyday heroism of caregiving, the legacies passed through generations, and the profound influence of matriarchs on identity, resilience, and connection. This global-local collection honors the women whose strength shapes the worlds around them.
Hope is an intimate portrait of a military family fractured by the invisible wounds of war. At its heart is Catherine, a decorated soldier and mother who returns from deployment profoundly changed-emotionally withdrawn, plagued by guilt, and struggling with addiction. Her daughter, Hope, once protected by her mother's strength, becomes a witness to her unraveling, forced to mature too quickly amid the chaos of relocation, strained family bonds, and a lack of institutional support. As Catherine battles to reintegrate, her marriage collapses, and the military's absence of post-deployment care deepens her isolation. Her husband leaves, her daughter grows distant, and Catherine is left with the crushing realization that service came at a cost no one prepared her for. Told through raw and reflective testimony, the film unfolds as a dual coming-of-age story-of a mother attempting to rebuild herself and a daughter learning how to carry grief, anger, and forgiveness at once. Amidst the pain, there's resilience: a hard-won understanding that healing doesn't follow orders and that love, though strained, survives in quiet gestures and unspoken grace. Hope in the Aftermath of War is a powerful exploration of trauma, accountability, and the casualties of war that follow soldiers home, long after the battle ends.—El Dorado Films
- Runtime13 minutes
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryUnited States
- PremierePennsylvania Premiere
- DirectorDaniel Leonard Bernardi
- ProducerDaniel Leonard Bernardi, Jesse Collier Sutterley
- CastCatherine Harri
- EditorJesse Collier Sutterley
Spanning drama, comedy, documentary, and hybrid genres, these films illuminate the everyday heroism of caregiving, the legacies passed through generations, and the profound influence of matriarchs on identity, resilience, and connection. This global-local collection honors the women whose strength shapes the worlds around them.
Hope is an intimate portrait of a military family fractured by the invisible wounds of war. At its heart is Catherine, a decorated soldier and mother who returns from deployment profoundly changed-emotionally withdrawn, plagued by guilt, and struggling with addiction. Her daughter, Hope, once protected by her mother's strength, becomes a witness to her unraveling, forced to mature too quickly amid the chaos of relocation, strained family bonds, and a lack of institutional support. As Catherine battles to reintegrate, her marriage collapses, and the military's absence of post-deployment care deepens her isolation. Her husband leaves, her daughter grows distant, and Catherine is left with the crushing realization that service came at a cost no one prepared her for. Told through raw and reflective testimony, the film unfolds as a dual coming-of-age story-of a mother attempting to rebuild herself and a daughter learning how to carry grief, anger, and forgiveness at once. Amidst the pain, there's resilience: a hard-won understanding that healing doesn't follow orders and that love, though strained, survives in quiet gestures and unspoken grace. Hope in the Aftermath of War is a powerful exploration of trauma, accountability, and the casualties of war that follow soldiers home, long after the battle ends.—El Dorado Films
- Runtime13 minutes
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryUnited States
- PremierePennsylvania Premiere
- DirectorDaniel Leonard Bernardi
- ProducerDaniel Leonard Bernardi, Jesse Collier Sutterley
- CastCatherine Harri
- EditorJesse Collier Sutterley