After suffering a devastating tragedy, a broken young man embarks on a strange journey to a radical Swedish healing program that turns people into fruit.

What kind of fruit are you?

A meditation on grief and the ways in which we must overcome ourselves sometimes to find real healing, The Origin Story (of Gerald the Lemon) is a film about one man’s journey that became more and more real to each of us as we progressed through production. We are so excited to share this story with the world.

It all started with a camping trip. Thanksgiving 2018: a few friends and I were heading out to Zion National Park with the intention of filming... something. At the time, I was working within a very abstract world, somewhere in between surrealism and absurdism; I had recently written a full-length feature script that happened to have a subplot with a lemon with legs. As I drove to work one morning a few weeks before our trip, I thought to myself: where did that deformed lemon come from?

And so, we unknowingly embarked on a three year long journey of shoots centered around camping trips, battling 110 degree heat and freezing snow, constantly rewriting as we grew as storytellers and filmmakers, and COVID setting us back a year. What started as an avant garde moment in the desert turned into a world and mythos that stretched out much farther than we could've imagined. Ultimately, we all found ourselves mirroring Gerald's story in our own way.

As the director of this film, I learned how to tell a very simple, human story through the lens of something completely absurd. Gerald's story is one of heartbreak and grief-- and I truly believe it was meant to be told like this. Here's my little lemon that could, I hope it brings you joy!

GERALD / CO-PRODUCER

An Australian actor based in LA chasing a fruitless dream. Jens Sweaney is playful, enigmatic, and loves to prance around the beach.

We reckon he’d make a fantastic mango!

WRITER / DIRECTOR / PRODUCER / MUSIC

Taylor Bakken is a Minnesotan artist who works for a renowned filmmaker in Los Angeles. In her spare time when she’s not torturing everyone in the desert, Taylor paints surrealist scenes and enjoys long walks on the beach.

She thinks she’d turn into a fig!

EALON

Andrew Morrison’s trained with William H. Macy at Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble Chicago and continues as a member of the Groundlings Improv troupe.

Andrew would tranform into a banana!

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY / EDITOR / PRODUCER / MUSIC

No question - he’s a jackfruit. Kyle would make an excellent taco.

CELINE

Ren Holly Liu is a Chinese-American actress based in LA. With a background in classical music and theater, Ren sings, plays piano and violin both on+off screen.

Ren fancies herself as a pair of cherries!

PRODUCER

Stephen is an innovative, young genre producer, development executive based out of Los Angeles. With his company MTHEC Studios, and a remarkable community of directors, writers and artists, Stephen has helped bring many commercially and critically successful stories and characters to life.

Stephen identifies with rhubarb!

TESSA

Sarah Elizabeth Withers is an LA based actress and is a graduate of USC's B.A. Acting Program. You can see her in films such as NIGHTMARE CINEMA, CAPPS CROSSING: WRONG SIDE OF DEAD, and Roku's PLAY BY PLAY.

Sarah would definitely be a kiwi!

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY / CO-PRODUCER

Eric is a professional cinematographer residing in Los Angeles. Due to his love for impactful imagery, the equipment which helps create it, and his background in both steadicam and brushless gimbal systems, Eric has shot several national commercials, award winning shorts, and has worked with some of the world’s most prominent actors and musicians.

Eric would definitely be a pineapple due to his affinity for chilling in the tropics.

When we say we’ve shot all over the place… we mean it. The desert was our home for three years, including all of its temperamental weather changes. From blistering heat to freezing snow, we’ve shot through it all —