The End Again is an emotionally-gripping look at the heartache, frustration and sometimes-catharsis that individuals experience during a breakup. Starring real-life couple Columbus Short and Tanee McCall-Short, the short film serves as a precursor to the feature film OpenEnded, and it’s an honest look at how conflicted one feels when watching love fade.
Filmmakers Crystle Roberson (director) and Latisha Fortune (producer) wanted to tell a compelling story with this project, one that examined the nuances and complexities involved in divorce and breakups, in general. The Shorts real-life relationship provided a potent subtext for the story. And director Roberson was excited to see how the actors channeled heavy emotion into scenes with sometimes-little dialogue.
“Columbus Short and his wife Tanee McCall-Short were excellent with emoting those silent but awkward moments,” Roberson explains. “In particular, when we cast Tanee, her audition tape was so powerful before she even spoke dialogue, there is so much behind her eyes. I said ‘she’s the one’ because when there is real pain behind someone’s eyes, you can’t manufacture it. We hoped that that would translate well on camera during those quiet yet intense moments when a couple has just run out of things to say and has failed at communication.”
“The emotions behind this film are universal and everyone has experienced heartache at one time or another,” said Fortune. “I felt that it was a real life point of view regarding one particular aspect of love. We often see love stories that end happily and that isn’t always how life plays out. Also, I thought it was important to highlight that the relationship just didn’t work and in life you can have two people who love each other and it just doesn’t work. It was important for us to stay away from the stereotypical reasons for a break up ie: someone cheated or someone was abusive etc. We wanted to display that people are not one dimensional. Joe nor Jane are bad people…they are just not good for each other at this point in time.”
The filmmakers want audiences to recognize their own romantic relationships in the struggle between Joe and Jane.
“I believe that film is a mirror for the intricate people of society. When they watch ‘The End Again’ I hope that reflection of love is strong enough to allow them to evaluate the bonds with their loved ones in a more delicate way,” adds Roberson. “Perhaps even reconsider saving a love that deserves one more fighting chance.”
Fortune echoed those sentiments.
“Audiences should see themselves reflected in Joe and Jane,” she says. “We have all been Joe or Jane at one point or another. I hope people walk away from the film and are able to heal from their past hurts by realizing that ‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’ -Alfred Loyd Tennison. If you have lived, you have loved and its ok if it doesn’t work…Love is Openended.”
Check out the trailer for The End Again:
