ORLANDO, Fla. — Many films draw profound inspiration from a filmmaker’s life, but few offer quite as intimate, unfiltered, and personal a glimpse into a family’s reality as Liz Sargent’s narrative feature-length film, “Take Me Home.”
For Sargent, who grew up as one of seven children adopted by her parents alongside four biological children, the narrative feature presents a deeply personal, unflinching look at the multifaceted world of caregiving. It explores the realities of living with disabilities, the complex and often overwhelming mechanics of the American medical system, and the intricate dynamics of family life rooted in suburban Florida.
Adding to its profound authenticity, the film is set entirely in the family’s real East Orlando home. It stars the filmmaker’s sister, 37-year-old Anna Sargent, who has cognitive disabilities. While professional actors step into the roles of Liz’s parents, Bob (portrayed by Victor Slezak) and Joan (portrayed by Marceline Hugot), as well as her sister Emily (portrayed by Ali Ahn), the fictionalized narrative remains deeply rooted in the lived experiences and genuine realities that the filmmaker shared with her real sister while growing up.
Reflecting on the emotional genesis of the project, Liz Sargent recalled the overwhelming weight of her early adulthood and the profound uncertainties that shaped her perspective.
“There was a time in my 20s where I just felt this extreme anxiety about what the future held for my family, for my parents, and for my youngest sister—but also where I belonged with my own hopes and dreams and goals,” Liz Sargent said. “I was drowning in the medical system trying to fight for my sister who has mental illness and getting her health care, and finding guardianship for Anna, and thinking about my parents aging out of their role as caregivers… It became this film of capturing that moment and talking about how we make those decisions and what’s available in this country.”
Choosing the backdrop for the production was an intentional artistic decision, driven by the fact that Florida was the very environment that shaped and defined the family’s journey over the decades. Capturing the distinct atmosphere of the region required enduring challenging conditions to achieve the desired visual and emotional resonance.
“We shot in August. It’s the worst. It’s the hottest. But the downpours are sort of magical in a way,” Liz Sargent said. “Suddenly it disappears, and there’s this beautiful light that shines through, and everything’s glowing around it from the water. I feel like there’s something about that Florida that I wanted to capture, like this is the American dream. There’s also the harshness of the environment and these people trying to survive within it.”
The journey of “Take Me Home” began as a modest 16-minute short film that successfully captured national attention when it premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in 2023. After subsequently screening at dozens of film festivals across the country, including the Florida Film Festival, Sargent’s vision received a major boost when she was awarded a $1 million production grant through the Tribeca Film Festival and AT&T Untold Stories.
Within the span of a single year, that foundational short film was successfully transformed into a full-length feature story. The completed feature premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, earning Sargent a notable screenwriting award. Following its Sundance debut, the film continued its impressive circuit with an international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival and its official New York premiere at Tribeca.
The momentum continues as “Take Me Home” officially opens in theaters in New York City on Wednesday, followed by a theatrical opening in Los Angeles on September 30.
In the 90-minute feature, the character Anna must learn how to navigate the world around her, manage her evolving relationship with her sister, and cope with her father’s advancing memory loss—all occurring in the vulnerable wake of losing her mother.
Achieving this authentic portrayal on set required a specialized, supportive production environment tailored specifically to help Anna thrive. To ensure her success, the production utilized a disability producer, an ongoing acting coach, and an improvisational approach to scenes. This intentional framework was supported in part by Caring Across Generations, a national advocacy organization dedicated to shifting the cultural narrative and public policy surrounding caregiving to make vital support systems more accessible to families nationwide.
“We were able to provide some grant funding to the film in order to make sure she had a caregiver, an accessibility producer that trained everybody else to work with Anna in the way that she needed to be worked with, and also an acting coach to really work in a personalized way to help Anna prepare for all of her scenes,” said Lydia Storie, an executive producer on the film and the director of culture change for Caring Across Generations. “Having that in place allowed for her to deliver an award-winning performance.”
As the film continues to expand its reach and connect with new audiences across the country, Sargent has discovered how deeply universal its core themes truly are. Her work resonates profoundly with an estimated 130 million people across the United States who currently find themselves navigating demanding caregiving roles in their own personal lives.
A significant milestone occurred during a special screening held at Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland, where the film’s emotional final scenes are officially set. It marked the first time Sargent’s parents were able to view the completed film in front of a live audience.
“I think it was very moving for them to get to be in an audience with people and understand that their personal struggles, like the intimate details that I’m sharing about our lives, are normalized. There’s a vulnerability that we all have,” Liz Sargent said. “It was beautiful to see people come up to them afterward and talk to them about their own care stories.”
While the middle section of the film unflinchingly explores the tensions that arise from financial instability, systemic hurdles, and pervasive uncertainty regarding the future, the final act ultimately shifts toward a message of hope. It presents a vision of what the future could realistically look like for individuals who require ongoing care and a secure place to belong within their communities.
“It is possible to create a world where we can all thrive and have our needs met. What I want is for people to identify and fall in love with Anna. I think that kind of love and protection is what’s going to change the way we vote and interact in this world,” Liz Sargent said.
Echoing this sentiment, Storie emphasized the broader social implications of the film’s message.
“When I watch this film through to the end, I see this vision of what can be when we recognize that all of us deserve better,” Storie said. “A more supportive and inclusive future will be better for all of us.”
