Monday, October 24th, 2022
One Small Visit
A young family drops by some Wapakoneta folks to pay their respects. Nothing unusual about that.
By Leslie Gartrell
Submitted Photo
From left, Viola Armstrong holds Anisha Abraham while posing with her husband Stephen Armstrong, Nirmala Abraham, Elizabeth George and O.C. Abraham outside the Armstrong family home. The picture was taken by Wapakoneta native Neil Armstrong, the first man to step foot on the moon.
WAPAKONETA - Like many families watching the moon landing in July 1969, the Abraham family was in awe.
Through the static of the black-and-white screen of their television the possibilities of space were endless, and the sky was no longer the limit.
Several months later, as the immigrant Indian family journeyed from their Delaware home to Celina to visit friends, they saw a sign proclaiming Wapakoneta as the home of astronaut Neil Armstrong.
What started as a brief detour soon turned into an unforgettable adventure. Now, their story is being told in "One Small Visit," a short film that follows the Abrahams after they arrived unannounced at the doorstep of Stephen and Viola Armstrong to pay their respects to the family of the first man on the moon.
Submitted Photo
A poster for director Jo Chim's short movie "One Small Visit."
Director Jo Chim said the 30-minute film is based on the true story of her friend Anisha Abraham's parents Nirmala and O.C. Abraham and her grandmother Elizabeth George. Anisha Abraham was still a baby when the family took the road trip, she said.
Chim said although she first heard the story over a decade ago, she felt re-telling this story of the moon landing from such an intimate perspective in 2022 is timely.
The former actress and businesswoman said she has been troubled by the growing polarization happening around the world and found parallels between the turmoil of the 1960s and 1970s and the troubles of today while researching for the film.
"The idea that this middle-American town and these brown people walking around town in their beautiful, flowing saris… it's a story between two very different families finding connection and a shared humanity," Chim said.
While it's easy to treat the issues of race, identity and belonging with negativity, Chim said she sought to address them in an uplifting and humorous way.
"The tonality of the film is like 'Little Miss Sunshine' or 'Marriage Story,'" she said. "They also deal with family, inter-generational problems. It deal with serious issues, but it's still funny."
In one scene, the family stops for lunch in town and are met with quiet stares and whispers. When the waitress comes to take their order, she peppers the family with questions.
"So, you all yogis or something?" the waitress asks.
"No, we're Christians," grandmother Elizabeth George replies.
The film also touches on the differences in treatment of people of color in the south and the midwest during the height of the Civil Rights movement.
In another scene taken straight from the Abrahams themselves, O.C. Abraham tells his wife how he had visited the area in 1962 as the guest speaker for a local rotary club.
On the day of the event, he was welcome at the restaurant where it was being held; the next day, he was refused entry and told he could only eat in the kitchen.
"I thought that only happened when you went down south," his wife says quietly in the film.
"Well there it's easy, clear. Signs for whites and coloreds posted everywhere. You know who you're dealing with, what lines not to cross," he says. "Up here, it changes all the time. Welcome one day, not the next."
Submitted Photo
An undated photo of Nirmala Abraham holding her daughter Anisha Abraham.
Submitted Photo
An undated photo of Nirmala and O.C. Abraham.
However, at the steps of the Armstrong's home, the family takes a leap of faith and knock on the door. To their surprise and delight, Viola Armstrong answers the door and welcomes them inside.
A photo taken on the day of the adventure shows Nirmala and O.C. Abraham and Elizabeth George standing in front of the Armstrong's home alongside his parents. Viola Armstrong, draped in a long red coat, holds baby Anisha Abraham in her arms, with her husband Stephen Armstrong nearby.
Perhaps one of the more interesting details of the photo is who took it. Neil Armstrong, freshly returned home from a world tour that included India, captured the memory for the Abrahams.
In the film, the first man on the moon tells the family how looking at the earth from space made him feel small and the planet look delicate.
"These borders between countries, these lines that divide us, from space you see they don't exist," he said. "It made me realize we need to come together and share this place. It's the only home we have."
Since the film's limited release, Chim said it's been screened in several different places, including NASA and most recently the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta last Wednesday.
"The film represented everything NASA wants - inclusion, diversity, the possibilities of space," Chim said. "The fact that is resonates with so many people has been amazing."
Submitted Photo
In this still from "One Small Visit," Vick Krishna (O.C. Abraham) drives to Wapakoneta with the rest of the Abraham family.
Several weeks ago, Anisha Abraham was hosting her parents, the film's cast and crew for breakfast ahead of the screening at NASA in Washington, D.C.
What they didn't know what that Chim had been connected with Mark Armstrong, Neil Armstrong's son, and his wife Wendy. The couple had seen the film and wanted to surprise Nirmala and O.C. Abraham.
"They loved it, they loved his dad's speech, which is verbatim," she said. "Mark said of all the things he's seen (about his family), this was truest to his family."
That morning, the Abrahams had one small visit of their own.
"It was one of those moments where it's art imitating life," Chim said. "(The Abrahams) were so surprised. All of this has been a beautiful experience."
The director said her trip to Wapakoneta this past Wednesday was inspiring, especially since she has been approached to make the short film into an hour-long feature film.
"Mark (Armstrong) set us up with the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. Everyone has been so kind," she said. "I'm hoping if we do a feature film we can shoot in Wapakoenta, get location shots and more backstories."
Nirmala and O.C. Abraham also came to Wapakoneta last week. Although the couple could only stay for a few hours, Chim said they were appreciative to be back in town.
"O.C. said 'You know, Jo, it's these moments of joy that I long for,'" she said.
Submitted Photo
Actress Ellora Patnaik (Elizabeth George) points alongside Gabriella Sundar Singh (Nirmala Abraham) in this still from "One Small Visit."
The Coffee Partners Media-produced film won best foreign film at the LA Shorts International Film Festival this year, and was an official selection at the 2022 Vancouver Asian Film Festival.
Chim recently finished filing paperwork to enter the short film in contention for an Oscar. The preliminary step means the film will have the ability to compete for an Oscar, she said.
While the film's release has been limited, Chim said she hopes to make "One Small Visit" more widely available to the public in the coming weeks.
In the mean time, individuals can
watch the trailer online and learn more about the film on Facebook, Instagram or
onesmallvisit.com.
