Shortly after her husband passes, a new widow wrestles with her grief as she prepares to forge her path forward. Based on a true story.
Review by Victoria Angelique:
The tribute film, DEAR ERNIE, is a heartbreakingly beautiful film that will leave the viewer smiling. The first few frames plunge into the piercing silence of grief after Ernie has passed away, following his new widow as she attempts to process her world without her beloved husband.
The devotion of husband and wife doesn’t end at “til death do us part,” as wedding vows so often imply, because this couple’s love appears to be eternal. The widow remembers the recent days, blurring the past and present as she grieves, proving that taking care of Ernie wasn’t a burden but a clock that was ticking down to the days when her heart would finish breaking. She loved everything about her husband. He was her world.
This film will make everyone want a loving marriage like Ernie had, one a relationship that lasts nearly five decades. The widow writing her eulogy as a letter to Ernie in heaven is sweet. It turns the film from heartbreaking to beautiful as she reflects on their life together. It’s at this moment that the viewer can begin to mentally picture this couple’s entire life together with the widow needing to speak the words as their love was just that strong. Her eulogy doesn’t cause tears, but smiles as the widow speaks with a reassuring confidence that she will see her wonderful husband waiting for her in heaven.
The filmmaker, M.D. Walton, making this film a tribute to his father just makes it that much better. It shows the love for the filmmaker’s father and mother.
Festival Reviews 