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A woman returns. Cherie is an actress in Los Angeles who has returned home. Her beloved grandmother has died, and she has come back to clear out and take care of the home. But the return is a disconcerting one for Cherie, who is frustrated by her career and can't seem to escape some of her more difficult career choices. And she's grieving the loss of her grandmother, who was the only source of unconditional love in her life. Cherie can't seem to escape the prison of her past, which is keeping her from growing into her future. But when she makes an unlikely friend, he helps Cherie process her grief and define herself on her own terms. Directed and written by Colleen Donovan, this warm, compassionate short drama charts the emotional transformation of a young, grieving woman who returns home after her grandmother's passing. At a larger crossroads in her life and career, she unexpectedly finds friendship and is reminded of a different approach to life -- one that is key to her own self-renewal. Visually, the film has a grounded, earthy naturalism that conveys an essential warmth of home. Specifically, the grandmother's home, which is modest but redolent with signs of nurturing and care, from the garden beds full of flowers to the decorative objects that harken back to family vacations, interests and personal whimsy. Shots that catalog the textures and decorations of the home are overlaid with voicemails from the grandmother, full of an attentive, conscientious love for her granddaughter. Cherie has returned to this home, going through and sorting her grandmother's things. Cherie plans the funeral, cleans out the belongings, and tries to get a job to pay for the arrangements. Cherie is also at a crossroads with her life, with a stalled career, a few mistakes in the rearview mirror and no real direction. Though the subject matter is melancholic, the writing has a wry humor for the ironies of many of the situations Cherie finds herself in. (The meeting with the funeral home director upselling Spotify playlists and makeup services is a particular highlight.) But the storytelling also takes its time tracing quieter moments, when Cherie sinks into the depths of her loss. But the narrative never stays sad for long. The film's homespun beauty is a highlight, as is her growing friendship with her grandmother's gardener, Milo. As Cherie, actor Colleen Donovan is thoughtful and wistful as she finds herself in her grandma's home, but there's also an essential pluckiness and strength in her that propels her through the awkward moments. Her friendship with Milo, played with a scrappy kindness by actor Adan Rocha, also brings out her humor and fighting spirit, both figuratively and literally. Tender, grounded and empathetic, MA CHERIE has both richness and simplicity. Its visuals capture the ordinary but beautiful details that make up a home, and for a film about grief, it's alive to the ways we can grow and transform through difficulty. It has a fundamental hopefulness and optimism, as Cherie finds her footing again through friendship and remembrance of her grandmother's love and ability to nurture belonging and beauty. She finds herself doing the same in her own way, and we're left at the end with the sense that her life will bloom again in unexpected ways. MA CHERIE. Courtesy of Colleen Donovan at https://instagram.com/colleenscranium.