On July 7th, 2022, my boyfriend, Hunter Thorstenson, unexpectedly passed away in a bike accident. Overcome with grief and survivor's guilt, I desperately wanted a way to honor and remember him. So, I decided to put my grief to work and filmed a documentary about my love story with Hunter.
In May of 2022, Hunter wrote me the love letter shown above. I scanned the letter and used it to develop a script and shot list. The film is divided into three parts representing three different parts of our relationship:
"I loved you then"
The first time we dated
"I still love you now"
The second time we dated
"I'll Never Stop Loving You"
Our relationship now despite his unexpected passing
Hunter and I met because we drove matching white Jeeps at BYU. I decided to tell the story of each of these moments by driving Hunter's jeep (with the doors and roof off of course) to each of the places that were important in our relationship.
My roommate Camille Jacobsen was critical to the completion of this project. Camille was an absolute wiz with the camera and accommodated all of my perfectionist directions and emotional breakdowns. Camille and I would go shoot for 6 hours straight at the most random locations. We went through a lot emotionally and logistically to make this film happen.
I enlisted my roommates (Camille & Anna) to help me with filming. Since the project was very personal in nature, I kept the crew to my close friends.
the premiere
I truly conquered one of my biggest fears with this project. Sharing creative work can be difficult enough, but sharing a project this vulnerable in front of a large audience was a whole new ballpark. However, this opportunity to celebrate Hunter was extremely cathartic and rewarding.
Photos by Reagan Sweat
I had over 350 people come that evening to the premiere of my short film. I shared my testimony of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ in front of everyone. I even had Pat Doyle speak! After the premiere, I was greeted by hundreds of tearful friends. Now the film lives on the website I made and has well over 1000 views. Hunter's memory lives on! Scroll down to watch the short film or click below to view the website I made to learn more.
I'll Never Stop Loving You
I'll Never Stop Loving You
Mini Documentary | 11 min 33 sec | 2022 | 4K HD
"I'll never stop loving Hunter,
but that doesn't mean my love will stop there."
The story of my relationship with my late boyfriend Hunter, as told from my perspective. The film is divided into 3 parts based on a letter Hunter gave me in May of 2022. Throughout the film, I drive Hunter's Jeep to all the places that were important to our relationship as a way to tell our story
Director
Hallie Smith
Director of Photography
Camille Jacobsen
Audio language: English
Subtitles language: English