The mystery around a child’s loom sends a filmmaker on a journey to 1945 Berlin to uncover why her cousin Hanni killed her four daughters, her mother, and herself.

Cinematography simulates trauma’s effect on memory. Vintage lenses focus on details that act as souvenirs: a dollhouse door, the imperfections of a childhood toy. Sensual moments convey the emotional context: the tension of bending glass, the anxiety of fingers sorting incandescent glass shards and the reconciliation of fusing pieces together. All of this must be conveyed in the visual language of the film: identity, graphics, promotion are generated in a way that influences the film direction. In the construct of our working relationship (Richard is a co-producer on the documentary), the Loom team can lean on the expedient nature of design to prototype how the filmmakers come to understand the film being made. It’s a remarkable collaboration where “footage”, “narrative”, “vibe”, and “graphics” work together in an agnostic environment that informs the process of making a documentary in a truly investigative way.

The Loom is currently midway through production. We’ll be sharing more as we progress.