BEAR / U.S.A. / WORLD PREMIERE

BEAR tracks Blake, a classical cellist and cello teacher in his early sixties who has retreated into isolation after the death of his wife. When Blake’s daughter comes home to visit, she finds her father, though still teaching cello, more isolated than ever in his cabin in the Sierras. Having mostly retreated from the world, Blake is becoming visibly obsessed with a black bear that has been sighted on his property. As the bear’s presence intrudes closer to home, the obsession interferes with the remnants of connection Blake has left. His daughter, Tanni, a one-time gifted pianist, is dealing with her own complicated feelings around going deaf and aging past her prime, yet she must try to control her father’s obsession before it ultimately destroys any hope they have of rebuilding a family.

Filmed in the beautiful cedar groves around Nevada City, California, and dealing with themes of aging, music, family, and grief, BEAR shows the danger that lies behind continued miscommunication, denial, and silence, especially when it involves family.