Stream the curated UCLAxFilmFest 2026 Official Selections here!
Synopsis
Still battered from a recent car crash, Leah stabs herself in a desperate attempt to be admitted back into the ER. While there, Leah’s eyes search for Nelly — the nurse who cared for her after her crash. When Nelly finally arrives, their reunion feels strangely intimate as Nelly stitches her up. Discharged too soon, Leah is crushed… but ultimately she finds a new way to extend her next stay.
Writer / Director Statement
Hospitals were a strange but defining backdrop to my early life. My mom started undergoing every cancer treatment imaginable when I was two, so for years, Northwest Community Hospital was my stomping ground. Because I couldn’t grasp the heaviness, I thought I was living the high life—nonstop sleepovers with my mom fueled by vending machine snacks and collecting gift shop stuffed animals like trophies. The endless parade of nurses showering me with attention made me feel like the floor celebrity. But eventually the treatments stopped working and my mom, Laura, passed away at thirty-one. At six, I was left to navigate a world that suddenly felt far less nurturing. Losing a parent as a child rewires your entire understanding of the world, often in ways you don’t even realize until much later. I tried to fill the void in me with achievements and striving to be the best at everything, but ultimately it was always to receive special care and attention in return. That deep longing for care – especially in the absence of my mother – is a feeling I’m intimately familiar with. As a filmmaker, I’ve always resonated with characters who take extreme, desperate measures to get an emotional need met. In my film TAKE CARE, you meet Leah as she’s about to stab down onto her hand with a kitchen knife. You don’t yet understand why, but you know one thing: she has to do this. In the background you hear birds chirping alongside an eerie score. It’s deranged, yet still grounded. When Leah finally gets wheeled into her room at the hospital, she’s oddly at peace. To Leah, the hospital is a place where care is not just given, it’s expected. And specifically, Leah finds comfort in Nelly, the sweet middle-aged nurse who treated her recently for a car accident. The scene where Nelly takes care of Leah’s wound is dream-like, juxtaposing the grotesqueness of her gory wound. But once Leah is discharged earlier than she expected, you can feel her heartbreak. As she’s about to lose hope, she stumbles upon an even greater idea. An idea that would allow her to spend more time in the safety of the hospital with Nelly. TAKE CARE is a darkly comedic examination of a woman who is willing to commit harm against herself in order to be nurtured.
Crew & Cast
BRITTANY ASHLEY | WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER
Brittany is a filmmaker living in LA. After Second City Chicago, Brittany wrote and produced over 100+ sketches, viral short films and narrative series at BuzzFeed. She's written for Netflix, Prime Video, Max, DreamWorks and Viacom, and created three podcasts, including Don't Tell The Babysitter Mom's Dead – a grief & pop culture podcast. She loves writing stories about messy women on the verge of imploding.
COURTNEY PAUROSO (“LEAH”)
Courtney is an actress, writer, director, and comedian known for her one woman clown shows Gutterplum and Vanessa 5000, both of which had sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe. Her comedy special Vanessa 5000 for Dropout won a People’s Voice Webby and was named one of Vulture’s best comedy specials of 2024. She can be seen in the Apple TV series The Studio and the indie feature Dogleg.
STEPHANIE COURTNEY (“NELLY”)
Stephanie is an actor from LA. She’s appeared in TV and film over the years, but is mainly known for her portrayal of Flo from the Progressive Insurance commercials. She’s a member of The Groundlings Theater and performs there every Wednesday night in The Crazy Uncle Joe Show. She’s thrilled and honored to be part of this beautiful film!
HENRY LOEVNER |PRODUCER
Henry is a writer/director based in LA. He wrote and co-directed the narrative feature romantic comedies, Peak Season (SXSW ‘23) and The End Of Us (SXSW ‘21). He created/wrote/directed The Flash: Escape The Midnight Circus (2023), a narrative podcast starring Max Greenfield, produced by Warner Bros. and DC Comics. He is currently writing a crime procedural narrative podcast for Realm Audio.
CLAUDIA RESTREPO | EDITOR
Claudia is a Los Angeles-based writer, director and actor. She starred in Peak Season, which premiered at SXSW ‘23. Claudia’s writing credits include The Book of Queer (Discovery+), My Daily Horoscope (Quibi) and her latest short film, Kill Me Daddy premiered at the 2022 Palm Springs International ShortFest. She is repped by Heroes & Villains Entertainment.
TANCRED | MUSIC
Jess Abbott first made waves as an integral member of Now, Now before launching her solo project Tancred, releasing critically acclaimed albums on Topshelf Records and Polyvinyl Record Co. After years of touring, Abbott returned home to Maine, where she continues writing and recording music on her own terms. She’s released a string of singles, collaborated with artists like Jenny Owen Youngs and John Mark Nelson, and co-written for musicians including Alex Lahey. Take Care is her film score debut.
MATT MILLER | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Matt has been a cinematographer in LA for 10 years working in the commercial, music video, and film industry. His clients include GNC, Toyota, Nissan, Budweiser, The Foo Fighters, Lizzo, The Chainsmokers, and Charlie Puth as well as a number of short and feature films that have screened at SXSW, Sundance, and Pasadena Film Festival.
Behind the Scenes
- Runtime11:26
Stream the curated UCLAxFilmFest 2026 Official Selections here!
Synopsis
Still battered from a recent car crash, Leah stabs herself in a desperate attempt to be admitted back into the ER. While there, Leah’s eyes search for Nelly — the nurse who cared for her after her crash. When Nelly finally arrives, their reunion feels strangely intimate as Nelly stitches her up. Discharged too soon, Leah is crushed… but ultimately she finds a new way to extend her next stay.
Writer / Director Statement
Hospitals were a strange but defining backdrop to my early life. My mom started undergoing every cancer treatment imaginable when I was two, so for years, Northwest Community Hospital was my stomping ground. Because I couldn’t grasp the heaviness, I thought I was living the high life—nonstop sleepovers with my mom fueled by vending machine snacks and collecting gift shop stuffed animals like trophies. The endless parade of nurses showering me with attention made me feel like the floor celebrity. But eventually the treatments stopped working and my mom, Laura, passed away at thirty-one. At six, I was left to navigate a world that suddenly felt far less nurturing. Losing a parent as a child rewires your entire understanding of the world, often in ways you don’t even realize until much later. I tried to fill the void in me with achievements and striving to be the best at everything, but ultimately it was always to receive special care and attention in return. That deep longing for care – especially in the absence of my mother – is a feeling I’m intimately familiar with. As a filmmaker, I’ve always resonated with characters who take extreme, desperate measures to get an emotional need met. In my film TAKE CARE, you meet Leah as she’s about to stab down onto her hand with a kitchen knife. You don’t yet understand why, but you know one thing: she has to do this. In the background you hear birds chirping alongside an eerie score. It’s deranged, yet still grounded. When Leah finally gets wheeled into her room at the hospital, she’s oddly at peace. To Leah, the hospital is a place where care is not just given, it’s expected. And specifically, Leah finds comfort in Nelly, the sweet middle-aged nurse who treated her recently for a car accident. The scene where Nelly takes care of Leah’s wound is dream-like, juxtaposing the grotesqueness of her gory wound. But once Leah is discharged earlier than she expected, you can feel her heartbreak. As she’s about to lose hope, she stumbles upon an even greater idea. An idea that would allow her to spend more time in the safety of the hospital with Nelly. TAKE CARE is a darkly comedic examination of a woman who is willing to commit harm against herself in order to be nurtured.
Crew & Cast
BRITTANY ASHLEY | WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER
Brittany is a filmmaker living in LA. After Second City Chicago, Brittany wrote and produced over 100+ sketches, viral short films and narrative series at BuzzFeed. She's written for Netflix, Prime Video, Max, DreamWorks and Viacom, and created three podcasts, including Don't Tell The Babysitter Mom's Dead – a grief & pop culture podcast. She loves writing stories about messy women on the verge of imploding.
COURTNEY PAUROSO (“LEAH”)
Courtney is an actress, writer, director, and comedian known for her one woman clown shows Gutterplum and Vanessa 5000, both of which had sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe. Her comedy special Vanessa 5000 for Dropout won a People’s Voice Webby and was named one of Vulture’s best comedy specials of 2024. She can be seen in the Apple TV series The Studio and the indie feature Dogleg.
STEPHANIE COURTNEY (“NELLY”)
Stephanie is an actor from LA. She’s appeared in TV and film over the years, but is mainly known for her portrayal of Flo from the Progressive Insurance commercials. She’s a member of The Groundlings Theater and performs there every Wednesday night in The Crazy Uncle Joe Show. She’s thrilled and honored to be part of this beautiful film!
HENRY LOEVNER |PRODUCER
Henry is a writer/director based in LA. He wrote and co-directed the narrative feature romantic comedies, Peak Season (SXSW ‘23) and The End Of Us (SXSW ‘21). He created/wrote/directed The Flash: Escape The Midnight Circus (2023), a narrative podcast starring Max Greenfield, produced by Warner Bros. and DC Comics. He is currently writing a crime procedural narrative podcast for Realm Audio.
CLAUDIA RESTREPO | EDITOR
Claudia is a Los Angeles-based writer, director and actor. She starred in Peak Season, which premiered at SXSW ‘23. Claudia’s writing credits include The Book of Queer (Discovery+), My Daily Horoscope (Quibi) and her latest short film, Kill Me Daddy premiered at the 2022 Palm Springs International ShortFest. She is repped by Heroes & Villains Entertainment.
TANCRED | MUSIC
Jess Abbott first made waves as an integral member of Now, Now before launching her solo project Tancred, releasing critically acclaimed albums on Topshelf Records and Polyvinyl Record Co. After years of touring, Abbott returned home to Maine, where she continues writing and recording music on her own terms. She’s released a string of singles, collaborated with artists like Jenny Owen Youngs and John Mark Nelson, and co-written for musicians including Alex Lahey. Take Care is her film score debut.
MATT MILLER | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Matt has been a cinematographer in LA for 10 years working in the commercial, music video, and film industry. His clients include GNC, Toyota, Nissan, Budweiser, The Foo Fighters, Lizzo, The Chainsmokers, and Charlie Puth as well as a number of short and feature films that have screened at SXSW, Sundance, and Pasadena Film Festival.
Behind the Scenes
- Runtime11:26
