Stages

Dalila, a young latina woman, loses her husband Scott early in the pandemic when he contracts COVID. As she processes her loss, Dalila goes through the 5 stages of grief: isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance but she is not alone.

When her friends and family try to reach out to help, Dalila rejects them, wanting to process her grief and remember her husband in peace. A presence in her home interrupts her solitude and starts to toy with her. Believing it might be her husband’s spirit, she isolates herself even further. After Dalila’s Friend Brooke tries to cheer her up, Dalila kicks her out of the house, fueling the unknown entity. As she begs for her husband to come back, the presence reveals itself and promises to take her to him.

Realizing that the only way to be with her husband is through death, she fights the entity with help of her husband’s spirit. Escaping her grief with a bottle of pills, Dalila calls her Mother for help, apologizing for her absence. Lying on her bed, she says goodbye to her husband and finally accepts his passing as sirens approach her home.

Written by Claire Haines (USA)