Short Film Review: “Daisy”

Director Jennifer East 

USA • Documentary • 5 mins

Born in Hiroshima, Japan two years after the bombing, this heartwarming and sweet documentary chronicles Daisy’s fascinating and varied life. Now based in Florida with her Polish-born husband, Daisy’s a woman who seems to have constantly been on the move, yet with her diverse and cultured past, she is still very connected to her roots and traditions. 

Her story is told by Daisy herself who comes across as incredibly likeable and endearing. Director Jennifer East effortlessly creates a comfortable and relaxed environment for Daisy to share the details of her life and in turn, as the audience, we feel like a welcome guest in her home. 

Jennifer East not only directs but also shoots and edits this piece and using some very clever framing and blocking she’s able to tell us much more about Daisy than just the soundbites alone, making this much more than a typical talking-heads documentary. The gentle, traditional soundtrack not only helps ease us into Daisy’s world but also perfectly mirrors and captures her calming presence as well.

As she tells us, Daisy’s real name translates into “Peace Child”, as her parents hoped she’d grow up in a more peaceful world than the one she was born into, and if she inherited anything from her parents it was their hope and optimism. It’s hard to imagine that Daisy’s life hasn’t seen any hardships or dark times - growing up in the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima certainly had it’s challenges - but she only focuses on and cherishes all the positive aspects of her life past & present and this is the greatest takeaway for us as viewers - to appreciate it all!

Daisy is an engaging and charming short documentary about appreciating all the aspects we experience on life’s crazy journey. We love Daisy!

8/10

Daisy was nominated for Best Documentary at our 2022 film festival.

Reviewed by Philip Pugh