“‘The Rest of Your Life’ is probably the most explicitly personal film I’ve directed to date. While a coming-of-age story can take place at any number of times in a person’s life, there’s something about departing for college that feels like a most fundamental (and widely identifiable) transition, even under the most ordinary of circumstances. But while deep drama is naturally inherent in that transition, a short film (as opposed to a feature) might be a difficult avenue in which to really make that resonate. So for that abbreviated duration, we needed a readily-accessible ‘hook’ — a metaphorical construct that both merited viewer interest and still spoke clearly to the struggle of moving on to a new stage of life, acknowledging the attendant fears of losing that which is comforting and familiar. In our initial take on the story, we leaned more heavily on the comedic and exaggerated elements. But as we fleshed things out (and even continuing into shooting), I realized that while we could still keep things comparatively light, we needed to embrace the underlying gravity that such a transition signifies. In the end — as my own daughter prepares to leave home — I hope the tonal combination succeeds.”