Mom’s Personal Story Drives Upcoming Short Film

By GAYANE TOROSYAN
OTSEGO COUNTY

For Cooperstown resident Heather Grace Sharpe, “Beneath the Silence” is more than a film project. It is a deeply personal story inspired by her experiences as a single mother and a reflection of struggles many parents face behind closed doors.

“This film is almost a mirror of my journey through motherhood as a single mom raising four children,” Sharpe said.

Sharpe, who works in Bassett Healthcare Network’s Audiology Department, wears many creative hats. She owns Luna & Grace Keepsakes, a memorial jewelry business, serves as vice president of Film Otsego, works with Otsego Media, and has built a résumé in film as a hair and makeup artist and crew member on feature films, shorts, and music videos.

Now, she is stepping into the role of writer and director for “Beneath the Silence,” a psychological drama short film scheduled to shoot in Oneonta on October 2-4.

Sharpe’s children, ages 17, 15, 12 and 8, inspired many elements of the story. She said parts of the film, including some of the dialogue, are drawn directly from her experiences raising two sons and two daughters.

“In my short, when it is done, when people are watching, I want it to be very raw, very real,” she said. “This is real life, parenthood. I believe uncomfortable conversations need to happen.”

The film centers on Maya, a mother navigating challenges that include grief, mental health struggles and the isolation that can accompany parenthood. Sharpe hopes the story will resonate with audiences who have felt unseen or unsupported.

Summer Cunningham, a professor of communication studies at SUNY Oneonta and chair of the university’s Women and Gender Studies Department, said the film’s themes echo those explored in Susan Maushart’s book “The Mask of Motherhood.”

“The social pressure to appear to be a perfect, satisfied mother is so great that mothers are compelled to put on a face of perfection and happiness all the while hiding the real struggles and challenges of parenting. In short, she says mothers are pressured to ‘fake’ motherhood,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham, whose scholarship and advocacy focus on motherhood studies, said the pressure to conceal the difficulties of parenting can make mothers feel disconnected from one another.

“Ultimately, the mask alienates us from one another. The solution is to stop faking: take off the mask, break the silence—like this filmmaker is doing—to be vulnerable and open about the entirety of the enterprise, the good and the bad. Being vulnerable is not easy, but hopefully it leads to more openness and connection among all of those who undertake the challenging work of motherhood,” she said.

“The heart behind “Beneath the Silence” has always been bigger than making a film,” Sharpe said. “It’s about creating a space where someone can finally feel seen, heard, understood, loved and know they’re not alone.”

Sharpe said many parents are expected to rely on a network of family, friends and community support, but not everyone has access to that kind of safety net.

“We hear the phrase, ‘It takes a village,’ all the time,” she said. “But the truth is, so many people don’t have one. They’re navigating grief, postpartum struggles, trauma, or mental health in silence because they feel like they have no one to turn to.”

Sharpe said many production elements are already in place. The cast, crew, locations and shooting dates have been secured, with fundraising remaining the final hurdle before production begins. She intentionally chose to keep filming in Oneonta and Otsego County.

“One of my goals is to show how versatile Otsego County can be in terms of film production,” she said.

Portraying the main character, Maya, will be Julia Knippen, a Sullivan County resident whose background is largely in voice acting and commercial voiceovers.

Knippen, who grew up in the Chicago area, studied theater at San Francisco State University, and is currently training at New York City’s Terry Knickerbocker Studio. After living in Brooklyn for 15 years, she now resides in Sullivan County.

She first learned about the project through a Facebook casting call Sharpe posted online.

“I really liked the kind of slice-of-life realism that the writer and director is going for,” Knippen said. “I really got attracted to the character and the role because it is very real, and not romanticized.”

Knippen said Sharpe’s vision of the characters immediately stood out.

“The way she described the characters spoke to me because I’m a very ‘normal’ person, not a movie star,” she said.

While production has not yet begun, Knippen expects the role to be emotionally demanding.

“I think it will definitely be a challenge,” she said. “I think it will be a very emotional experience, and preparing for it without a preconceived outcome means just being very present and seeing where the character and the situation take me.”

At the same time, she finds encouragement in the story’s central message.

“The story itself has a lot of hope,” Knippen said. “It’s about someone taking the steps she needs to survive and build a life that makes her happy.”

Knippen also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work on the film despite having relatively few on-screen credits.

“I appreciate that Heather put faith in me as an actor and invited me to work on this movie as a first-time collaboration,” she said.

Joining the cast is 7-year-old actor Jordan Pendino of Buffalo, who will portray one of Maya’s sons.

Despite his young age, Jordan already has an impressive list of acting credits. His mother, Andrea Pendino, said he became interested in performing before he even knew what acting meant.

“When he was 4, he started asking to be a model,” Andrea Pendino said. “He saw a mannequin at Target and wanted to be like that.”

By age 5, Jordan had signed with an agency and was regularly auditioning for various roles.

“He loves that, gets very excited about auditions, and he says he’s never quitting,” his mother said.

Since then, Jordan has appeared in several projects, including “The Devil’s Mark,” a paranormal documentary directed by television personality and filmmaker Nick Groff that uses dramatic reenactments to tell the story of a man who claims to have experienced supernatural attacks since childhood.

Andrea Pendino became interested in “Beneath the Silence” after a friend suggested she read the script. Although Jordan has previously tackled emotionally demanding roles, his mother recognizes the unique responsibility involved in portraying a character inspired by Sharpe’s own experiences.

“With Heather being through this, living through this, I want to make sure that Jordan can do her son justice,” Pendino said. “It is her personal experience, so one of the challenges would be knowing how she sees her son in this and having Jordan matching it.”

Pendino said Jordan shares several similarities with Noah, including growing up with siblings. She believes his relationship with his 11-year-old sister will help him connect naturally with the role.

“He has had some emotionally heavy roles and has done very well with them,” she said. “He has never experienced what Noah experiences, but Jordan has a joyful personality, and Noah is largely oblivious of everything his mother is going through.”

As the October production dates approach, Sharpe continues efforts to secure the remaining funding needed to bring the project to the screen. Supporters can learn more about “Beneath the Silence” and contribute through its Indiegogo campaign at https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/heather-grace-sharpe/beneath-the-silence.

For Sharpe, the goal extends beyond completing a film.

“If this film can make even one person feel less alone; if it gives them the courage to ask for help, to start a conversation, or simply reminds them that their story matters—then it’s already done what I set out to do,” she said. “Sometimes the most powerful thing we can offer another person isn’t a solution. It’s letting them know they’re seen.”