“The calm, cool face of the river
asked me for a kiss.”
— Langston Hughes
A Short Film
Directed by D.C. Lewis & Aaron Wilson Watson
Produced by Cordelia Donovan
Logline
During a nostalgic weekend at their childhood beach, an observant young man struggles to decode his brother's increasingly erratic behavior, unaware he is running out of time to stop a tragedy.
Synopsis
Mitchell and his younger brother Darrell take a nostalgic trip to the beach boardwalk their mother used to bring them to as children. What begins as a carefree weekend — music, laughter, arcades, old memories — slowly reveals a deeper emotional undercurrent as Mitchell notices unsettling changes in his brother’s behavior.
Darrell, once withdrawn and anxious, suddenly moves through the world with reckless confidence, drinking heavily and speaking with an eerie sense of finality. As the brothers reconnect along the shoreline, buried emotions and unspoken pain surface between them. Drawn increasingly toward the ocean, Darrell finds an unexpected peace in the water while Mitchell struggles to understand what his brother is trying to tell him.
One year later, after a surreal nightmare on the beach, Mitchell awakens in his mother’s car. She is driving him back to the boardwalk. Returning to the same shoreline on the anniversary of Darrell’s death, Mitchell is forced to relive the devastating truth: his brother walked into the ocean and never returned.
Haunted by grief, guilt, and memory, Mitchell confronts the final moments of their last trip together — before finally letting go of the pain he has carried since losing his brother.
“Grief moves like the tide—arriving, retreating, returning.”
The Filmmakers
Director
Darius Charles Lewis is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and educator based in New York City. He has worked as a production assistant on independent productions such as The Lost Book of Rap, and as a freelance editor. His debut feature documentary, Eye to Eye, explores an African American family’s perseverance through the pandemic — touching on police brutality, mental health, and grief. It premiered at the Manhattan Independent Film Festival and won Best Documentary.
Director
Aaron served as Senior Video Producer in the Office of Digital Strategy at The White House, telling the story of the Biden–Harris Administration in the digital space. A skilled producer, director, and photographer, he has worked at The College of New Jersey, Tribeca Film Festival, CBS, and Mass Appeal. His films have screened at the Newark International Film Festival, New Jersey Independent Film Festival, and the International Social Change Film Festival.
Producer
A dynamic businesswoman, advocate, and entrepreneur, Cordelia founded Cordelia Donovan Inc., a public relations and marketing firm empowering businesses to “Make Big Happen.” Her notable producing credits include The Lost Book of Rap, Circles, Respect The Jux, and the documentary Heart of The Shore. In 2015 she wrote, directed, and produced the off-Broadway play Sister’s Keeper as part of Theater for the New City’s Dream Up Festival.
Budget
We’ve raised $8,000 of our $25,066 total budget — and are actively seeking the remaining $17,066 to bring the film to life.
Total Budget · $25,066
Investor Inquiries
A Calm Cool Face is in active development. We are seeking partners who believe in cinema that holds space for grief, memory, and the enduring love of family. Full screenplay, budget breakdown, and production timeline available upon request.
Please send any business inquiries tocordeliadonovan@gmail.com