Always Danny

Distributed by New Day Films, 350 North Water Street Unit 1-12, Newburgh, NY 12550; 888-367-9154Produced by Tomer Keysar and Cheryl FurjanicDirected by Tomer Keysar2024, Streaming, 35 mins Grief after the loss of a child is deep and often unfathomable for those who have not experienced it. While the loss of a child is challenging for their parents, the loss of a sibling can leave deep scars that affect their siblings for the rest of their lives. Always Danny, a brief documentary directed by Tomer Keysar about his own family, centers the story of his family after the tragic loss of his brother, Danny, at 16 months old. When Danny succumbed to an accidental injury related to the collapse of a portable crib – a crib model that had taken four infants’ lives before Danny’s – Tomer and his younger brother, Avi, had not yet been born. Regardless, Danny was always present in the family members’ lives as the boys grew, both in framed pictures throughout their home and as a fully present family member routinely discussed and visited graveside. Tomer interviews his older brother, Ely, who was nearly 5 years old when Danny died. This conversation, distributed throughout the film, is the first time the brothers have discussed Danny’s death. Despite being part of a grief group for families surviving sibling loss and therapy following Danny’s accident, Ely was deeply affected by the loss of Danny. The interactions between Ely and Tomer for the documentary are raw and tender, both brothers becoming emotional during conversation about the chasm that has always existed between Ely and the rest of the family, which Ely attributes to his subconscious response to Danny’s death. By the end of the film, the journey to healing these brothers’ relationship has begun, but – realistically – Tomer acknowledges that there is more work to be done to create a bond between them. Tomer’s parents, Boaz Keysar and Linda Ginzel, seem to also have unique experiences related to Danny’s death and the process of moving forward after this major loss – one seeming much more focused on what was lost while the other reflects on the gift of the time they did have with their infant son. Their narratives revolve around their work with Kids In Danger, a non-profit organization created weeks after Danny’s death focused on lobbying for legislation that would require children’s items manufacturers to test their products for safety before releasing them to the market. This film is highly recommended for audiences interested in stories of loss and the variety of responses to grief within a single-family unit. It is appropriate for general audiences; while it is emotionally charged and does discuss the accidental death of an infant, it does not present any content that is inappropriate or graphic. This film also serves as a case study for the effects that manufacturing negligence can have on real families. The brevity of the film also makes it ideal for use in the context of a class, as most high school and college classes are longer than 40 minutes.