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How to Cope with Brussels Sprouts

A film by Sabrina Phillips Brash

How to Cope with Brussels Sprouts is a short, experimental documentary that seeks to find out what love has to teach us. Who better to ask than your own grandmother?

The production process for this film involved an intimate interview between my grandmother and myself, followed by weeks of animation, editing, and collation of archival material from my family’s collection. The narrative of the film is framed around this process – delving into the memories and hidden gems of the past in order to decipher the lessons we can learn from our own experiences, and from each other.

From this production, I have learnt to approach documentary as both a tool of artistic expression and interpersonal exploration. By documenting personal histories, we can apply lessons learnt to the present, and develop greater understanding of who we are as people and how we connect to one another. In terms of documentary as an art form, this project has allowed me greater insight into the expansive breadth of the filmic form, and has inspired me to continue to delve deeper into all that documentary can be.

I believe this film has extended my skills as a filmmaker in terms of both my creative stylistic expression, and allowing vulnerability in my thematic choices. In discussing relationships, sex, and heartbreak, my grandmother and I have grown closer, and she has shown me what it means to learn from love and loss. I hope that her story will provide hope to all those navigating their own relationships, in knowing that the bad bits are not worth stewing on, and that love and fun are achievable for all.