Within the quiet walls of the Seamen’s Bethel, stories of loss, survival, and reflection have echoed for generations. The Letter is a short film that draws directly from that legacy, using this historic space as a setting for a deeply personal journey shaped by memory and guilt.
Created as part of the 48 Hour Film Challenge, The Letter tells the story of a man living with survivor’s guilt. Haunted by what he lived through and what others did not, he arrives at the Seamen’s Bethel carrying the weight of unanswered questions and unresolved grief. His visit is not planned, nor is it certain what he hopes to find. What unfolds instead is a quiet confrontation with his past and a fragile step toward peace.
About the Film
At its heart, The Letter is a story about survival and the emotional cost that often follows it. The film centers on a gentleman who has outlived an experience that deeply affected him, leaving him burdened by guilt for having survived when others did not. His journey brings him to the Seamen’s Bethel, a place shaped by centuries of maritime hardship and resilience.
Inside the Bethel, surrounded by stillness and history, he begins to reckon with his grief. The film unfolds slowly and deliberately, allowing moments of silence, contemplation, and vulnerability to take center stage. Rather than offering easy answers, The Letter invites viewers to sit with the complexity of survivor’s guilt and the quiet strength it takes to seek healing.
The Bethel serves not just as a location, but as an emotional anchor. Its presence reinforces the film’s themes of remembrance, endurance, and the search for meaning after loss.
The Setting
The Seamen’s Bethel has long been a refuge for those connected to the sea, offering comfort to sailors, families, and visitors navigating uncertainty and sorrow. In The Letter, the Bethel becomes a place where grief is acknowledged rather than hidden, and where reflection is allowed to unfold without judgment.
By filming on location, the filmmakers intentionally wove the building’s history into the narrative. The space amplifies the emotional weight of the story, grounding it in a setting that has witnessed countless stories of survival, faith, and remembrance.
Creative Team
Directed and Edited by
Karissa Freitas
Megan Holden Sattler
Videographers
Karissa Freitas
Roman Satherlo
Megan Holden Sattler
Starring
Andrew Korzeniewski
Ryan Alves
Romario Satherlo