I Forgive You for Dying

During the Vietnam War, thousands of young fathers were sent off to fight. One left a three-year-old daughter named Jacqueline at home. A year later, that man—Don Lundquist—died of a massive heart attack, and Jacqueline spent the next 30 years feeling abandoned. I Forgive You for Dying is a documentary feature that explores what happened next. 

It draws on the trove of personal letters and tapes that Don sent Jacqueline while stationed in Vietnam and illuminates both the generational trauma that war inflicts on a family and the process of healing after loss. The finished project will utilize archival film, sketch-style animation, and interviews with experts in psychology to tell an even more complete story. 

Our grant will cover sound equipment to help Jacqueline conduct pre-interviews with subjects—an intergenerational cast that includes Jacqueline herself, her mother Ruth, who is 93, and her son Sam. I Forgive You for Dying is at its heart the story of a family, but Jacqueline hopes that it can portray more than just her own experience. “Our film seeks to emphasize empathy, active allyship, and compassion,” Jacqueline says. “Regardless of the generation you were born into or the trauma you inherited.”