Growing up in Oak Park, Illinois, filmmaker Gregory Barnes was one of only a few members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in his hometown. He lived a 30-minute drive from his ward building. His dad was the ward bishop, while his best friend’s mom was the Relief Society president . That, Barnes said, put him in a “prime position” for gossip. Hearing outlandish tales of wedding nights gone awry from the Relief Society president while hanging out in his friend’s basement formed the basis for Barnes’ latest film, “Together Forever,” which is screening at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. “Together Forever” was born out of a partnership between Neon and Kodak as part of a 2024 short film contest to promote Sean Baker’s romantic comedy “Anora.” Winners were given funding and mentorship as they shot a brief love story on analog film.  Barnes’ entry follows a Latter-day Saint couple as they struggle through an unsexy honeymoon night. “To some degree, your first time is always going to be sloppy, but for Mormons, it’s extreme,” Barnes said. “If you’re lucky, like me, you have someone in your ward getting you ready, letting you know that communication’s important, and don’t do anything you’re not comfortable about.” But often, he said, the religion’s purity culture leads to a lack of sexual education.  “When you’re finally getting at it, there’s no point of reference, because it’s all taboo until it’s not,” he said. “By the time you’re doing it, you’re sort of inventing sex. You’re coming together with a person. You’re like, ‘How do we do this? What are the mechanics?’” “Together Forever” is a bare-faced depiction of that messiness. Barnes calls it a comedy, albeit an incredibly dry one.  Although he’s left the church, Barnes’ intention isn’t to mock. “I’m not interested in ‘South Park’ levels of depictions of Mormonism,” he said. “The punchline isn’t ever that they’re Mormon. That’s just the given circumstances. And then I just try to construct something that feels real, with real characters, with real heart, real humanity.” In many ways, Barnes followed the church blueprint. He served a two-year mission in Salta, Argentina, at 19. He married his college sweetheart. He attended Brigham Young University, where he enrolled in the film program. At the time, he felt he couldn’t make films about his religion, censored by the expectation to depict and talk about the church only in ways that would be approved of by peers and mentors. It wasn’t until Barnes pursued his master’s degree in fine arts at New York University that he began to open up creatively about his upbringing. That was in 2018, a few years after he had left the church. It was there that Barnes made his first film about the church, “The Touch of the Master’s Hand.” The film follows a missionary confessing his pornography addiction.  The film takes place sometime between 1995 and 2008, when Gordon B. Hinckley was the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The film was inspired by Hinckley’s referring to pornography as a plague and the personal effect that had on Barnes as a teenager. “Together Forever” also takes place during this era, opening with an excerpt from a 2004 talk by Hinckley, “The Women in Our Lives.” “I think he’s just got an incredible cadence, and his talks are really amazing,” Barnes said. “When I’m writing scripts, I’ll be like, ‘What’s the themes I’m dealing with?’ And then I’ll go back to General Conference talks and pull language from that.” The fixation on Hinckley allows Barnes to depict the church culture he was raised in rather than the “new brand” of Latter-Day Saints that has come through a slew of organizational changes.  “The Touch of the Master’s Hand” premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and won the Short Film Jury Award in the U.S. Fiction category. Barnes said the film received a warm reception from both current and former church members. He’s more antsy about the response to “Together Forever,” since the content is a little more “out there.” Despite no longer being a member of the faith, Barnes owns the label of “Mormon” — even if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not.  “I feel very grateful that I have this culture to explore and mine. I find the stories there to be very human and tender,” he said. Barnes attributes his creative mind to singing in the church choir. His love for nature comes from participating in his ward’s Boy Scouts of America troop. And there were times when he attended church that he felt a deep love from his fellow members. Barnes was initially hesitant to make art about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But now, it’s an “artisanal well,” he said. “I can’t shut it off.” “Together Forever” will premiere as part of the Short Film Program 2 at 3:15 p.m. on Jan. 24 at The Yarrow Theatre. Learn more and reserve tickets at festival.sundance.org/program/film/6932fa5c1a5535d5c891aef1. ‘Together Forever’ in-person screenings 3:15 p.m., Jan. 24, Yarrow Theatre 3 p.m., Jan. 28, Megaplex Redstone 3 10:20 a.m., Jan. 29, Megaplex Redstone 3 10 a.m., Jan. 30, Holiday Village Cinemas 2 Online 8 a.m., Jan. 29-11:55 p.m., Feb. 1 The post ‘Together Forever’ brings Latter-day Saint experience to Sundance appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less