'Gregory,' Brief but Memorable

“Gregory” is an intensely personal film by Ben McHugh, CEO of Brooklyn Oz Productions, who took time from his other film projects to make a film inspired by his late father, who passed away in 1984.

“I dream of meeting him now as if he had never died,” McHugh told The Good Life. “This is my way of achieving that through this medium. Just the longing of a son to have grown old with his father. I know how he was when he was 40. I wonder how he’d be now.

“Many, many years have passed since my father died, and I have often wondered if he’s been watching me - what he thinks of me as a man, and a father,” he explained. “A quiet longing I’ve had, is that I see him again for a brief moment... across a crowded room, or on a street... where I catch a glimpse of him smiling and nodding, letting me know he’s proud of me. ‘Gregory’ is that moment.”

In the film, Gregory is seen feeding pigeons alone on his favorite park bench, as he regales them with the song "Shadrack," and the joyful memories it brings him of his young son singing it.

Distracted by a young father (played by McHugh) and daughter playing soccer nearby, joy turns to yearning – of time lost and forgiveness for mistakes he made as a young, inexperienced parent.

Gregory is about to leave when he is interrupted by a wayward soccer ball and the young girl, Skye. He shares with her it’s his 77th birthday - a celebration with his pigeon friends "Shadrack," "Mesach" and "Abednigo" - and he playfully serenades the song to her.

“Gregory,” which has won awards in both domestic and international film festivals, can be seen online at http://www.brooklynozproductions.com/originals/gregory.

Its running time is a little over six minutes.