FROM HEAVEN is a feature film set to start filming in the Spring of 2026 in the Athens, GA area. Set in an old Southern town, the story takes us into the townspeople's secrets and desires and how an act of god reveals them all in unexpected ways.

The film's writer and director Clare Methe is born and raised in the state of Georgia. The majority of the cast and crew will be Southern filmmakers who will bring authenticity to telling Southern stories that do not rely on stereotypes and caricatures. The film also aims to subvert the expectations and internal prejudices that many have toward seniors in their communities.

FROM HEAVEN follows Deirdre, a young woman with a secret who spends the summer reconnecting with her estranged grandmother. Meanwhile, a mysterious elderly man has moved into the area and his strange habits quickly become the subject of community gossip. In a dying Southern town, the two women share dark secrets as they get to know one another.

The aging townspeople have secrets of their own which come to light after a force of nature rains erotic paintings over the town.

FROM HEAVEN explores the characters who made life-defining choices. Religion and the Southern culture play a big role in how each character perceives their choices and emotions around it – whether it is shame, acceptance, pride, or melancholy. This swirl of emotions brews as the newcomer Deirdre enters the town along with a mysterious Old Artist. As the tensions rise, you will get to see beyond the facade of the townspeople and feel their complex natures.

Deirdre - A young woman who fears making wrong choices that may affect her future. Due to her complicated relationship with her mother, she turns to her estranged grandmother for connection and guidance. 

Brenda - Deirdre’s grandmother who, due to her own complicated relationship with her daughter, has not seen Deirdre since she was a young child. She’s baffled as to why a young woman would want to spend her summer in a dying Southern town. 

The Townspeople include Joanna, the no-nonsense home visit nurse, and the gaggle of church ladies, know all the gossip and have their own secrets.

Brenda’s elderly neighbor, Al, who refuses to be separated from his wife May who is nonverbal due to Alzheimer’s.

Ruth and Roy are an old married couple who are scared to share their desire to physically reconnect.

The two widowers who find solace together.

Lastly, the mysterious Old Artist, who moves to town to continue his work in solitude.

FROM HEAVEN wants to capture the beauty of the South, specifically small towns in the South.

From Heaven film will feature paintings by the artist Jim Herbert. As our team collaborates with him, we would like to share his artist statement:

My approach is heuristic, working quickly and intuitively. This process leads to many changes of mind and random (welcome) accidents. Perhaps the painting is finished when all the errors add up. The paintings are figurative and erotic and not dependent on any conceptual framework or cultural assumptions. Hopefully, the process leads to a visual idea. The image, in achieving a visual idea, does not provide matter for a concept. It is self-evident.

You can find more of his work on his website and his Instagram.

Following in the footsteps of independent films like JUNEBUG (2005) and THELMA (2024), FROM HEAVEN aspires to dive into characters and stories that often do not receive the spotlight in the mainstream. This film seeks to go deeper than comedic caricatures of elderly characters. This story explores more of the complex inner lives of elderly characters. They don't have to prove themselves to be exceptional and legendary to have their stories told.

In a time where everyone's morality seems to be judged by a strict dichotomy, FROM HEAVEN also seeks to dive into the complex natures of its characters. With the backdrop of a Southern town, the perception and judgment, internal or not, will play a big part in the characters' journeys. Despite the culture and internalized stigma, the townspeople and Deirdre must make choices that will change their lives.

We want this film to not only break the stereotypes of portraying elderly characters but also lean into the layered complexities innate to all people. The imaginary divisions we have in our minds don't matter as much when we can share and bond over common experiences and emotions beyond age.

The FROM HEAVEN team believes now is the time to underline human connection through various expressions including art forms – the ultimate human expression. The ability to empathize through and be inspired by art forms is the crucial theme in the story we want to tell.

Our goal for this campaign is to raise $10,000 for the further development of FROM HEAVEN.

With the raised funds from this campaign, we will submit FROM HEAVEN to screenplay competitions and film grants to raise the budget for production.

We will be marketing the film for the campaign and for further financing as well.

Preproduction fees include gas compensation, service fees for various preproduction tools we use, and labor for personnel.

We want to invest in a casting director so that this film will cast the best actors to bring the story to life.

LLC & Banking includes fees regarding the creation and maintenance of a limited liability company for the film's business operation.

And the final budget item is covering the personnel working on this production.

Seed & Spark requires that we raise at least 80%

of our goal for the project to be funded.

We must reach this goal in 30 days

or we won't collect any pledges!

Hi, my name is Clare Methe. I'm the writer/director of the film From Heaven.

I grew up in the American South. After graduating from college with a degree in Japanese language and literature, I spent eight years in Japan working as a model in print, runway, and commercial productions. Appearing regularly as a radio show guest, I did various voice and translation work. After returning to the United States, I received my MFA degree in Filmmaking through the University of Georgia, specializing in writing and directing.

I’m interested in telling stories that explore human emotion and the complex relationships people have with themselves and each other. My Southern Catholic background inspires a lot of the aesthetic choices in my writing. The intersection of religion and the emotional gray areas of being human is a recurring theme in my work.

While I was staying in Japan, it was common to see elderly people engaging in society. From riding the subway to running an active business, they were active participants in various social settings. I felt this perception shift when I returned to the States. The elderly people were less likely to be seen in social settings. People – younger generations – don't expect them to be actively participating in the economy or society. They were expected to be at their homes or retirement towns like their age became the entirety of their identities.

People in the older generation have a lot of life experience, and they keep their desires and passion in their old age which is often overlooked by the media and the bias of the younger generation. I want to tell a story with well-rounded elderly characters who represent human desire and longing. 

Around the time when I was at an age where a relationship with my grandmother could really flourish, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and I quickly lost that opportunity. Whether consciously or not, I think I wrote this story to play out my desire to connect with the older generations in my family.

I want to share this story with an audience from any age group. This story is about our hidden desires and the choices we make to either keep them buried or reveal them to the world. I hope that you will see a piece of yourself in the film.

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Please support @ClareMethe in her upcoming film "FROM HEAVEN" @FromHeaven-Film where a young woman visits an aging Southern town to see her estranged grandmother before a storm reveals many secrets. Follow the story for more updates, and you can support this film on @SeedandSpark

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Let's support @clare__methe in her upcoming film "FROM HEAVEN" @from.heaven.film where a young woman visits an aging Southern town to see her estranged grandmother before a storm reveals many secrets. Follow the story for more updates, and you can support this film on @SeedandSpark