2027 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Living With A Visionary’ Director Stephen P. Neary

Living With a Visionary is a 15-minute hand-animated documentary about John caring for his wife Diana, whose Parkinson’s medication causes vivid hallucinations. Based on poet John Matthias’s memoir, i

John cares for his wife Diana, who experiences vivid hallucinations while undergoing treatment for Parkinson’s disease, after 50 years together. Stephen P. Neary’s *Living With a Visionary* is a 15-minute documentary short that transforms into hand-drawn animation the time spent caring for someone while accepting, from close by, a world that one person cannot see. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2026.

Everyday Life Between Memory and Hallucination

The film is based on the recollections of poet and professor John Matthias. Under the influence of medication, Diana sees beautiful but unfamiliar visions, while John confronts the fact that he cannot fully share those experiences. Rather than treating the hallucinations as a simple event, the film’s focus is on the couple’s everyday life and the changes in their relationship that continue amid differing perceptions.

Two Realities Made of Paper and Vellum

Neary created every scene as hand-drawn animation by layering paper and translucent vellum, then drawing with watercolor crayons. The delicate, colorful drawings reveal the vitality of the images Diana experiences, while John’s narration conveys both the distance and the loss felt by the person caring for her. Rather than offering an abstract explanation of the illness, the film creates a sense of the couple’s realities falling out of sync through the contrast between visual experience and voice.

The Final Chapter: Accepting Separation

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the couple to live apart, John came to acknowledge that he could no longer manage the caregiving alone. In the final phone call, the film gazes at the time they shared as John reads Diana the poem he first wrote for her. Completed with narration by James Cromwell, participation from Katherine LaVictoire, and production by Cartuna, the film received the 2026 Sundance Short Film Animation Jury Award, after which The New York Times Op-Docs secured its release rights.

Sources: Cartoon Brew interview about the film · Sundance Film Festival introduction · The New York Times Company announcement