Synopsis

Father and son seem to have opposite opinions in everything, from musical tastes to politics and the Vietnam War. Tired of arguing with his father Henry, son Gabriel leaves home. The film begins nearly two decades later, when Henry and his wife Helen receive a phone call from the hospital informing them that their son has been found wandering the streets of New York City. Gabriel has a brain tumor that has caused extensive brain damage and requires immediate surgery. After the surgery, it is discovered that the tumor damaged the part of Gabriel’s brain responsible for creating new memories. For Gabriel, past, present, and future are indistinguishable, and he continues to live in the era of Vietnam and psychedelic music. Determined not to let their son slip away from them again, Henry and Helen vow to reconnect with Gabriel, who is barely able to communicate effectively. Dissatisfied with Gabriel’s progress, Henry begins researching brain injuries, leading him to Dr. Diane Daly. She is a music therapist who has made progress with brain tumor victims using music. As Diane works more with Gabriel, she realizes that he seems to respond actively to the music of the psychedelic era – the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and especially the Grateful Dead. This music has a remarkable effect on Gabriel. Through this music, he is able to communicate and express himself, all while unaware that the era of his music has long passed. Henry, who can’t stand rock and roll, is determined to create new memories and a fresh relationship with his son. As he learns the songs that stir his son’s soul, he begins to form an unusual but emotionally rich bond with the child he thought he had lost.​

Director

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  • Jim Colberg
  • Independent film producer Jim Colberg has produced films such as Michael Rispoli’s *Two Families*, Melissa Leo and Robin Tunney’s *Runaway*, Jean Smart’s *Forever Cool*, and the documentary *Trumbo*, which tells the life of the legendary screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted in Hollywood for his communist sympathies. *Trumbo* earned the National Preview Freedom of Expression Award. Recently, he is adapting Diana Gabaldon’s *Outlander* for the screen and working on eight other projects with Essential Pictures. Before his work as a director and producer, he authored books like *Catching Me*, *Ernest Hemingway: Meeting the Devil*, and *The Hike*. In 2008, he directed Arthur Miller’s play *All My Sons* at Mountain View Center. Colberg also serves as the president of Essential Entertainment, a film distribution company, and Essential Pictures, a film production company.