I am raising finishing funds for Better Late: Larry & Jane, an intimate short documentary about a couple who found each other in their late 60s after decades shaped by loss, heartbreak, and unexpected detours.

Larry lost his son to suicide after years of navigating bipolar disorder, depression, and alcoholism. Jane spent more than twenty years in a marriage shaped by addiction and betrayal. After years of healing, they meet in 2020 and discover a love that feels both youthful and deeply earned — the kind of true partnership many people spend a lifetime searching for. In a culture that tells us to find "the one" by 30 and renders people increasingly invisible as they age, the film offers a liberating counterpoint, granting permission to experience joy after loss, to love again, and to trust that our most meaningful chapters may still lie ahead.

Last February, I sat down for dinner in Culver City with my old family friend Jane, whom I have known since I was a baby, and my mom, seeing Jane for the first time in years. The Jane I remembered had often seemed weighed down, carrying the baggage of her past. But that night, she was unmistakably giddy, like a 12-year-old in love for the first time, glowing, laughing, and completely open.

I asked her what had changed. She said one word: Larry.

She told me about their relationship and their upcoming wedding, just a month away. I had never met Larry, but I left that dinner knowing I needed to tell this story. Jane was eager to share it, but the big question was whether Larry, a self-proclaimed curmudgeon I had never met, would agree to let a near-stranger follow him around and document the intimate rhythms of their life together. It took a little convincing, but he eventually said yes. The rest unfolded quickly.

As I spent time with them, I realized their relationship offered more than a love story. It revealed what becomes possible when we remain open after loss and refuse to accept that our lives are fixed by a certain age. 

Beyond its love story, Better Late: Larry & Jane speaks to the grief and stigma so many parents carry silently after losing a child to suicide or mental illness. In telling Larry's story with openness and without shame, the film offers a rare and humanizing portrait of what healing can look like, and a reminder that loss, however devastating, does not have to be the final word.

I hope this film provides viewers the same sense of possibility I felt that night: a reminder that healing is not linear, that love can arrive unexpectedly, and that it is never too late to begin again.

To bring it to life, I have self-funded production and often worked as a very small crew, sometimes just me, juggling camera, sound, and the many roles required to document Larry and Jane's world when I am not collaborating with my amazing DP, Reebs. I have not paid myself a cent, and every dollar raised goes directly into making this film the best it can be.

Filming is complete. We are raising $20,000 through this public campaign to finish the film and we are off to a strong start thanks to an incredible community of supporters who believed in this story from the beginning.

Your support covers the essentials of post-production: the full edit, color correction, sound design, and music licensing that transforms raw footage into a film ready to be seen.

Reaching our $20,000 goal completes the film. Reaching $35,000 gives it a life.

This story deserves to reach the people who need it most. Every dollar beyond our initial goal goes toward making that possible: festival submissions, PR and publicity, legal and distribution, and an elevated music budget that gives Better Late the score it truly deserves. We also believe this has the potential to become a series, and stretch funding gives us the foundation to develop that vision.

If this story has moved you and you want to be part of what happens to it next, this is how.

Lily Mandelbaum, Director — Lily Mandelbaum is a documentary director and co-founder of StyleLikeU, a groundbreaking media platform that challenges beauty standards and empowers self-acceptance through raw, honest storytelling. Over the past 15 years she has conceived and directed thousands of interview-driven documentary videos exploring the healing power of vulnerability. She is best known for creating The What's Underneath Project, in which diverse individuals share personal stories of self-image and identity while shedding layers of clothing — a series that has garnered over 300 million views, built a global audience of more than 1.4 million, and been featured in The New York Times and dozens of other major outlets.

Christopher Huth, Editor — Christopher Huth is a documentary and commercial video editor based in Brooklyn, NY. Huth's award-winning work includes Cannes Grand-Prix Mobile Lion winning campaign for Google and the Cannes Gold PR Lion-winning docu series in partnership with Droga5.

Rebekah Vanderlinden, Director of Photography — Rebekah Vanderlinden is a Los Angeles-based IATSE Local 600 AC and cinematographer with credits across major television and film productions. She recently co-directed Uphill, a short documentary in collaboration with Yeti Cycles.

The plan is to submit to major documentary festivals and to explore editorial and streaming partnerships for the film as a potential series, following multiple subjects across different backgrounds and circumstances.

All contributions are fully tax-deductible through Fractured Atlas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts service organization. Lily Mandelbaum Productions is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas. Contributions must be made payable to "Fractured Atlas" and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.