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A Love letter
A documentary about grief that explores the memories of a beloved wife and follows the husband she left behind as he navigates loss, surrounded by her paintings.
Project Overview
After I lost my uncle and couldn’t go back to Iran, I started looking for stories about grief. One day, I went to a gallery in Norwich and saw a painting called The Italian Harvest by Anne K. Allanson. I became curious to know more about the painter, and I learned that she had passed away. I contacted her husband, Norman, and asked for a meeting. That meeting led to the idea of making a documentary about her paintings and about how Norman is trying to preserve her work and share it with the public.
The Approach
I spent two days in Norman’s house. He showed me his bedroom, the living room, his workspace, his wife’s painting studio, and the garden. As he walked me through the house, stopping in different corners to share memories and talk about how talented and hardworking his wife was, I was recording both sound and footage. I didn’t want to interrupt the moments by setting up lights or formal equipment — I wanted to move with him, like a living camera, following him through his life and their life together.
Afterwards, we had lunch, and then I left with the material, ready to begin the edit. For me, the whole experience felt like sitting with my grandfather — not as a filmmaker and a contributor, but as two people having a normal conversation.
Result
The film was shown at St. Margaret’s Church Gallery in Norwich, surrounded by Anne K. Allanson’s beautiful paintings. After the family watched it, they invited me to their house and gifted me the very painting that started everything — The Italian Harvest. For me, that is the greatest gift, reward, or form of income I have ever received from making a film.
In this difficult period , we are so pleased that you found a painting that resonated with you, to help with that pain , and even more so that it was one of my mums !
This is what lead you to my dad , and the making of your second film ‘ A love letter ‘ .
I was so touched that you spent time at Heron Island making this film with my dad.
I watched the film on Tuesday night. It had me in tears .
It is such a gentle, beautiful film. It is quiet , reflective, intimate.
You have captured so much in that short portrayal. So much about my dad - who can be quite elusive ! But also it is a film for everyone. Especially those who have been left behind after a loved one’s passing.
Lyndy Allanson
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