The Rock Collection | JFI Online Short: November 2023
The Jewish Film Institute is pleased to present The Rock Collection as our Online Short of the Month for November 2023. This month’s film, directed by Mayer Adelberg, explores issues of grief and rememberance in a Jewish context that has universal meaning. Watch the film below, then read an exclusive JFI interview with the director.
Jewish Film Institute: Can you talk about setting the tone of the film, especially in regards to the sound design and cinematography?
Mayer Adelberg: Loss is unbelievably difficult. In a much different way, so is filmmaking. When I connected with my cinematographer, the incredibly talented Bay Area-based Sarah Simka Jaffe, she recommended we shoot it on film using her own Super 16 camera. I thought that since we were filming in nature, about this topic, about the beginning, middle, and end of life, it would be perfect. Setting the tone on film, the rawness, the grittiness, the character, was important given that there was no dialogue. I wanted to focus on character, and using film complemented both the environment and the character herself. Sarah’s cinematography, despite extreme complications on the singular shooting day, and the manipulation of light from the best AC, gaffer, and grip in the Bay, is what truly makes this film so special. It’s raw, natural, slightly imperfect, and yet better than I could ever have planned.
We collected no sound during shooting. I think after I finished the edit, I spent a full month on the sound design. I wanted it to feel as if you were completely with our character, surrounded by the same nature, sounds, and emotions: beautiful birds (life), the babbling brook (motion among stillness), playfulness with the water, and the awe and comfort of discovery. Although the locations are physically not close to each other (we shot in both Saratoga and Santa Cruz), I wanted it to feel that the stream and the cemetery were almost connected, and that the world, for the living and the dead, is connected.
JFI: The final scenes of the film provide a comforting moment of remembering a lost loved one. What are your hopes for how The Rock Collection is received by audiences who are mourning?
MA: Without commenting on any specific topic, I believe at this moment much of the world is mourning. In the last few weeks alone I’ve experienced some of the most difficult emotions of my life. Whether we are mourning a lost one or remembering what used to be, what arises is a sincere hope of forthcoming peace and tranquility, a world in which chaos is minimal and love is plentiful. As I said earlier, the film is vague, intended to be interpreted individually based on one’s life experiences. I wish for audiences to be comforted by the film in whatever way they need to be at the time, and that we can all remember who and what and why we loved.
JFI: Can you speak to the emotional and spiritual significance of leaving a rock on the gravestone of a loved one in Jewish tradition? Why was it important for you to capture this on film?
MA: I wanted The Rock Collection to be universally understood and accepted, regardless of religion, custom, or who you’ve lost. This is why I chose to omit any reference to Judaism at the cemetery. However, the film is also especially intended for Jewish audiences for whom the practice is quite familiar. Judaism’s way of remembering the dead is through permanence. Instead of putting flowers on graves, which die the same as our loved ones, Jews place stones that represent an everlasting bond. By placing these rocks, we are not only acknowledging the importance of remembering our loved ones but allowing their existence to never fade, even if we can’t return to the grave for years, decades, or ever.
I made this film because everyone has someone to remember. Displaying these stones as a collection signifies not only repeat visits but more importantly repeat memories. I hope visually capturing the custom helps audiences remember that our lost relatives are never forgotten, no matter how long it’s been since we’ve seen them.
About the Filmmaker: Mayer Adelberg is a filmmaker, commercial director, and composer. His debut short film, The Rock Collection, was accepted at Jewish film festivals across the United States. His upcoming documentary short film, Widowhood, about Jewish widows in Maryland, is currently in post-production. Mayer’s primary focus is human-interest documentaries, which is also his favorite genre of film. He is a film score nerd, loving particularly those of the Newman Dynasty. He’s based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
About JFI Online Shorts: JFI Online Shorts features one new short film each month from emerging and established filmmakers. Since 2009, JFI has showcased over 100 online shorts and garnered worldwide views over 2 million on the JFI Youtube channel. Learn more at www.jfi.org.
