The Five Steps of Irish Catholic Grieving

Hey there!

My name is Colin Wilber and I am a sophomore Film & Television Major at DePaul University. Welcome to the GoFundMe for The Five Steps of Irish Catholic Grieving. Please give us your money!

The Five Steps of Irish Catholic Grieving is a dark comedy about grappling with the pressure of regimented grief, particularly the Catholic grieving process. Growing up Catholic, especially Irish Catholic, you are told that there is a way you're supposed to handle sadness and loss: wake, funeral, burial, and reception. You get your prayers and goodbye, and by the end of the reception, you have sufficiently celebrated the life of the deceased. But is there not always a fifth step? A silent sob? A hidden goodbye to a casket? That's what this film is about. The story follows Eoan as we see a one-minute blurb of each step of grieving his father; it follows the battle we often have with our own religious practices, family traditions, and emotional expectations.

This script means a lot to me, and it's crafted largely from observations I've made about my own family, friends, church, community, and relationship with grief. This story isn't a condemnation of religion or families or Irish people, rather it shows that perhaps life has more than one solution for every problem. The story is funny, as life often is, even in its darkest moments, and I hope it serves as a reminder of how zany, destructive, beautiful, and individual grief can be.

The film is produced by Maisie Tate and Jim Slife and is directed by Tess Detwiler; as we continue to build a crew there will be regular updates on our social media pages. All of the money raised will be going towards paying professional actors, transportation, food for our crew, sets, location costs, costumes, distribution, and the other million moving pieces of a film set.

Thank you and please consider making a donation!

Colin Wilber