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.
Saturday, April 5
The Screening Room
10:30pm
Filmmaker in Attendance

More in Drama
-
Wake
Luca Ferraiuolo
Australia, 2023, 9 min.'Wake' is a poignant tale of two brothers Syd and Elijah, who are on their annual camping trip in the Australian bushland together. However, Elijah finds it... more ›
-
Songs of Adam
Oday Rasheed
Iraq, 2025, 98 min.When twelve-year-old Adam decides never to grow up, those he loves are forced to face the relentless passage of time without him... more ›
-
Clouds in the Wind
Xing Song
China, 2025, 23 min.Upon returning to his hometown, Vincent reconnects with old friends, attends a wedding, and catches up with familiar faces from his past. These experiences... more ›