The Seawall centers the moment of departure as a grandson prepares to leave a beloved grandmother and a beloved country . At the heart of the film is a plot of disruption and sabotage via a hidden passport . At the age of seven , Mason Richards and his family departed Guyana for Brooklyn , New York — a migration story the filmmaker mines in The Seawall . Filmed entirely on location in Georgetown , Guyana , with local citizens turned actors , the short film illuminates a child ’ s struggle to reconcile the angst of leaving a homeland with the uncertainty of arrival in an unknown land . Told through the perspectives of Malachi , the film ’ s young protagonist , and his grandmother Marjorie , The Seawall explores the rupture migration enacts on families . The passport becomes the symbol of that impending rupture . The time has come for Malachi to leave Guyana and the grandmother who has taken care of him for the United States , where his mother lives . Their experience is common for many Caribbean parents who migrate to other countries and leave their children with family members or caregivers . Often , the parent works tirelessly to acquire the funds , passports , and visas to have their children join them — a process that can take years . On the eve of leaving , a time usually filled with undeniable tension , anxiety , and chaos , The Seawall is meditatively quiet . Gestures largely take the place of dialogue . In this liminal space , departure is defined by silence and refusal .
In Georgetown , one literally sees the wall as it blocks the view of the ocean . The opening and closing scenes of The Seawall mirror one another . In the beginning , Marjorie stands confidently and looks out over the seawall at the ocean in quiet contemplation , perhaps hopeful for her grandson ’ s future . The plot unfolds , and Marjorie helps Malachi accept his impending departure . In the closing scene , Marjorie faces the viewer , back turned to the ocean , slumped below the horizon line against the seawall , enveloped in despair and heartache . In these final moments , the seawall stands as a barrier between Marjorie and her grandson . As Malachi leaves his grandmother and home behind , his identity is fractured via this separation , and both characters are left in a state of longing .
— Rachael Fulmer Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies , Art History
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