“Directing and producing this documentary was very tough for us, but we will be forever grateful for everything we learned during the process of its creation. We believe that our father was very in touch with his soul’s purpose while he was here, which was to help people. Just by watching this documentary, you have done something for us that we are so thankful for. You have allowed our father to continue to give back and make a positive impact as he did when he was here. A special message to anyone who is going through what we are - you are not alone. We understand how difficult this is. Sending love.”
tags: @persistence-ofmemories , @vinylhazza , @episkygrant , and for everyone who’s going through a tough time, know that you’re not alone and there’s other people out there who are going through the same thing. it’s okay to reach out for help and to feel stuck, it’s normal. I love you 🤍💜
Some of the moments where I cry like a baby every time:
In their “It’s Time to Move On” video, (youtube) E and Gray talk about flying back and forth between LA and New Jersey every single week for the last several months of Sean’s life. They talked about sleeping in the room with their dad. As close as E & Gray are, they really appreciate having some personal, private space. Seeing them sleeping like this - cramped, cuddling more than they would want to - to be there for their dad just kills me. I don’t know how often they had this sleeping arrangement, but certainly many times.
Looking at old photos of their dad, Gray breaks down. That streak across his black sweater is a tear falling.
E is teary too. Gray leans forward and sobs deeply when E leans on his back in comfort and solidarity.
Sean’s uncle Joe (E & Gray’s great uncle) talked about how much good Sean did and how he cared for everyone around him, in the midst of immense physical pain and suffering. Joe says, “I only wish, I could be that much of a man.”
This causes Gray to break down, bless him. E is feeling it too, but harder for him to let go at this point.
Joe is visibly moved by Gray’s breakdown. You can tell he sheds tears throughout his talk - despite the dark glasses.
Joe is a “tough guy” with a thick New Jersey accent. He tells the twins and their film crew to be like Sean - to open their eyes and hearts to the people in their lives
“And I think for me, because of my upbringing of all that macho shit - that’s all fucking horse shit anyway cause it ruins your life - when you get caught up in that too much, it did me.” Powerful advice from a man who regrets the time he wasted in life being macho.
E and Gray are so much like their dad. Masculine, but tender and caring - not detached and macho.
When the twins sit down with their mom, all three shed plenty of tears. E has been teary a lot, but this is the first time in the film where he completely breaks down. It’s so utterly poignant to me how Gray (who was sobbing a few seconds earlier) fixates on E’s collar. It’s an instinctive reaction to protect his brother and to “make it better” - even though fixing the collar would be meaningless, in and of itself.
Tears are stopped for now. E hugs his mom while Gray is hanging back, probably thinking E needs some special attention. Missing his twin E says, “Gray, group hug.” When Gray joins in all three sob together. Oh my heart.
I've never felt like this. The documentary really hit me. They're two of the strongest people I've ever known in my life. Look what they've done! And they're only 20. I'm so proud of them and I couldn't be more happy for what they've done. They're my babies and I love them so much.
This is probably one of the most powerful thing to ever been created on YouTube. Grief and pain are, I think, some of the more powerful emotion one can feel. Death happens to everyone, it's something that happens everywhere, for various reasons. This kind of vulnerability they are showing to the world, it's brave of them to show it. I get why Cameron wanted to keep hers private. That's understandable. It can't be about 'well, they were all doing this, so don't you think you should too?'
We see death often in movies, tv, or other media. They're talked about, sure, but there are always some kind of underlying plot for it, a purpose or impact, designed to provide some kind of character growth for the characters, a motivation of some kind to move on to the next part of the plot and the dead is fondly remembered. In the end of the day, there's that barrier of them being fiction and generally made to be palatable for the general masses, like adding romance to it. This, however, is more raw. The people are real, the life was real, and this was their own personal journey towards that healing and the only purpose for it was what they make it, which is to help people.
As I was watching, I remember their talk with Shane, their trip to Hawaii not long after. Them spending Thanksgiving on the other side of the world and also Ethan's impulse buy for the Tesla. Their Dad secretly buying a Porsche without their mom's knowledge was reminding me of when Ethan bought a Tesla without telling Grayson and I was kinda giggling on that part with tears in my eyes.
I don't think their family even celebrated Thanksgiving that time. I don't think they can. Maybe a casual gathering, at most, and video calls to their family, but I think they just didn't celebrate it. That December was probably really hard on their family, not just them, and they probably didn't want to add on to that grief so they went to Australia, since they wanna go there anyway, and do stuff, since they also wanna do that too. I think that, in a way, that was also their way of coping since, if only in their subconscious, they know January will be hard.
I dunno, a lot of things they talk about made me think back on their various snapchats, tweets, stories and whatever, from since they open up to Shane to their making of this documentary. Like when one of them was posting a lot while the other was like radio silence.
Anyway, this is probably one of the best video I ever watched on a free platform, especially when discussing something as heavy as this.
Also, Tuesdays are back! Whoooooooooo~ Definitely subscribing to their podcast! Can't wait for it ❤❤❤❤ I wonder how long their episode will be. Also, I wonder how many times I'll mistake each of their voices 🤭 lol 😅
