123: Behind the Lens: Healing Narratives with Edwin Stevens

Welcome to Rock Your Shine: After you’ve been cracked wide open. On this show, I sit down with people from all over the world to hear their transformational stories on their deep grief and loss journeys. 

 

In this episode, Edwin Stevens, the filmmaker behind the poignant documentary 'Alice is Still Dead,' discusses how he navigated through the grief of losing his sister.

 

He shares his journey of diving deep into the personal, tragic story of Alice's murder and his attempts to honor her memory through his art. Edwin also discusses the impact of grief on family dynamics, the struggle of living with loss, and how creating the film ultimately became a healing process for him. He emphasizes the essence of allowing oneself to grieve, accepting it, and persistently working through it.

 

Edwin Pendleton Stevens is known for The Defiant Ones (2017), Alice Is Still Dead (2019) and Dark Harbor (2019).

**TRIGGER WARNING** This episode covers sensitive subject matter and is not suitable for all listeners. If this topic could be a trigger for you, listen to this episode with a friend, a sibling, a loved one or a parent so you can talk about any emotions that come up for you. The contents of this episode are not intended to replace therapy and should not be taken as such. If you need immediate help, please call the crisis hotline listed below in our resources.

Listen in as we talk about:

• 0:00 Intro

• 1:44 Remembering Alice

• 2:08 Alice's Adoption and Early Life

• 2:53 Alice's Struggles and Tragic End

• 4:23 Dealing with Alice's Loss

• 5:32 The Impact of Alice's Death on the Family

• 6:10 The Complexity of Grief and Loss

• 8:03 Alice's Early Acting out

• 9:44 Alice's Adoption and Identity Crisis

• 12:25 How did his parents deal

• 16:58 His Father's death

• 25:27 Making a Film about Alice

• 32:24 Impact of Death on Relationships

• 32:59 The Role of Children in Healing

• 33:37 Regrets and Reflections

• 34:13 The Importance of Self-Reflection

• 34:40 The Consequences of Avoiding Grief

• 36:23 The Impact of Grief on Relationships

• 52:27 Final Thoughts on Grief and Healing

• 54:52 Utilizing Therapy

• 57:18 What does self love look like

• 59:50 What does faith mean to you
  
  

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Book: https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Mining-River-Sibling-Grief/dp/1732888892/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Rock+On%3A+Mining+for+joy&qid=1570199126&sr=8-1   

Grief Hotline: 

• https://www.griefresourcenetwork
  
  

Connect with Edwin

• https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10981170/

• https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5451206/?ref_=tt_ov_dr

 

Connect with Susan

• http://instagram.com/susan.casey/ 

• https://www.facebook.com/Susan-E-Casey-101187148084982 

• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDcl58l8qUwO3dDYk83wOFA 

• https://rockyourshine.com/