I Forgive You for Dying is a feature documentary exploring the psychology of childhood trauma through one daughter’s brave journey to forgive her father, who died fighting in the Vietnam War.

Using a combination of beautiful archival film, sketch-style animation, and fascinating discussions with experts, this film uses one woman’s personal story to reveal profound breakthroughs in child psychology and mental health.

As a social impact project, our goal is to spread the message that people can break cycles of generational pain and heal from childhood trauma at any age. By using cinematic, personal storytelling, we’ll capture audiences emotionally, then give them profound insights to make real change in their own lives.

With the help of world-class experts, we’ll explore the impacts of war on women and children, intergenerational trauma, psychotherapy, post-traumatic growth, and ultimate healing. And we’ll use the power of animation to break down complex psychological concepts in a way that’s innovative and exciting to watch.

Our passion for making this film grew from a frustration that the life-changing knowledge Jacqueline and I (the writer-director) gained in therapy is not widely accessible in America. Mental health services are expensive, confusing to navigate, and still stigmatized. In this film, our goal is to share everything we’ve read, studied, and learned about managing childhood trauma and healing from it, with the help of world-class psychologists and therapists who are innovating across the field.