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The Junction

AJ Lambert
United States, 2025, 40 min.


Includes adult language.

AIFF Award Winner:
Best Short Feature

Rose's dead father had a gift she shares, and she isn't sure what to do with it. Her mother, Annie, has lived outside their connection; now that he's gone they are even farther apart. They move to where James Dean died on a dangerous road. Rose starts seeing things and slowly deteriorates, while her frustrated mother becomes obsessed with an unknown girl killed at the famous intersection. Their bond unexpectedly leads Annie where she belongs.

Director's Statement

The Junction is partly about who gets to be remembered. I had recorded a song called "Staff of the Flag", which I wrote after noticing that the roadside memorial to James Dean got attention, even though several “nameless” people died there. I wanted to write about a mother who places flowers at a site where her child was killed, across the road from the movie star's shrine. When someone close to me had a breakdown and I was powerless to help her, that location became a visual symbol of the pain when you can't give someone your love.

Category: Drama, Award Winner.
Themes: Family, Relationships.

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