By: Valerie Milano
This incredibly moving short film has qualified to be considered for a 2025 Academy Award.
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 9/25/24 – It has been 20 years since Max Palmer and Paul Jensen, a couple of college football teammates, have seen each other. But on the occasion of the passing of a third friend and teammate, Jim Turner, the pair are forced to confront the reason for their estrangement.
This is the premise of filmmaker Michael Perez-Lindsey’s short, “Will I See You Again?” which screened at the HollyShorts film festival. Starring Hosea Chanchez as Max and Nick Wechsle as Paul, “Will I See You Again?” explores themes of friendship, forgiveness, and honesty.
From the grave, Jim makes one final attempt to spur reconciliation between the two friends and address the real reason for the long-time rift. While at Jim’s funeral, in the church where Max is the officiant, the two men are led to face one another in an effort to resolve the reason they are estranged.
This short film is well worth seeing as co-writers Perez-Lindsey and Rhett Lindsey have crafted a thoughtful story with heart that examines relationships framed by LGBTQ+ themes and religion.
The two writers sat down today for an exclusive conversation about their film with The Hollywood Times. Lindsey, who is also one of the film’s executive producers, said the story was inspired by his own experiences of love and loss when he was in college.
Click below to see our exclusive interview:
“I think it’s a universal thing that everyone can relate to wanting closure,” he said. “With Max and Paul, there was a brotherly love there. They were teammates, friends in college, and there was something that was deeper between them. But due to social circumstances, decisions were made that tore them apart. 
“So really this story is about finding healing for yourself, forgiveness, it’s about love, real love, and connection.”
After Jim’s service, Max receives a letter from Jim’s Estate regarding a potential inheritance. When Max arrives at the church’s rectory office, he is surprised to see Paul is present and has received the same letter. Both Max and Paul are to receive an undisclosed inheritance under the following condition: ask one another five honest questions while hooked up to a polygraph machine.
Perez-Lindsey said the script, “Blew my mind. It was a collaborative effort. My husband wrote the story – he’s an avid writer – and he showed it to me one day. I took a look at it, and it just blew my mind, the whole concept and notion of a polygraph being the catalyst to get two people to be vulnerable under those circumstances is something I never heard of or thought about.”
This film points out that at times our lives fail to move forward until we are first honest with ourselves. “Will I See You Again?” captures a moment in time when all cards are placed on the table, and we work from there.
The film was produced by Alex Coffey and Valeria Lopez, with executive producers Navid Hamid, William Mehserle, Joseph Richards and Cornell Verdeja-Woodson. Cody Westheimer provided the musical score, and Sandra Valde-Hansen as cinematographer.
