By Valerie Milano

Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 7/21/23 – Grief, loss, and relationships layered with many complexities, Director David Michael Maurer brings to life a short film depicting a larger-than-life personality, Mendo, who has left many mistakes in his passing, along with a troubled teen daughter aimlessly hoping to find her way, a bitter friend, and a failing business. 

Click on the link to see our live interview:

Viewers experience Liza attempting to rob a cleaning facility while drunk as she fights her way through the loss of her father. Maurer speaks to this and illustrates, “Grief is complicated. Sometimes we isolate ourselves from each other, sometimes we use stuff to cope with the grief that maybe isn’t in our best, healthiest interest or our best emotional interest, and we can sometimes push away people that we love most. For me, the voice of the movie is about honesty. When people can get vulnerable with each other and get honest about where they’re at, suddenly the door can crack open to the possibility of finding healing. In the film Liza, even before the story has even started, has caused harm to Mendo and the family and vice versa. It’s complicated, and these people are trying to figure out how to deal with something that hurts.” 

There is much to be said as it relates to the eye-catching name of the short film and the ambiguity of its meaning. Maurer explains, “When you start writing something like this, you have a blank page in front of you. I knew I wanted to write something universal, so I started imagining what this could be. The working title initially was Amends, then I started playing with naming. Ultimately we changed course. The idea of a carousel spinning you around can be dizzying, and you need to get off at some point. The film also deals with honesty, and when we lie we can spin, so that is a part of the title too.”

Look out for the world premiere of Mendo’s Carousel at the LA shorts film festival!