DESTON FILMS

How ‘TWO: The Story of Roman and Nyro’ happened

"TWO" started out as Angela’s video diary of what would be her journey carrying our baby or babies into the world. There are no other words but AMAZING and UNEXPECTED to describe the path we have navigated, having been both participants and observers, following along the obstacle-laden path the Universe erected for us to interpret. An idea became the seed of intention that was somehow planted into a potent energy field and took root in the heart of the Universe. Everything that was happening was just so incredible that we decided we needed to document each stage of our journey to be able to eventually tell the babies of the rainbow of stardust they rode into this world. Synchronicity signposts that boggled our minds and defied logic were commonplace; magical visitations of dragonflies and markers of the number 33. We felt supported by the events of the days and weeks and months.

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Angela started a video diary before she was ever pregnant and soon, Desmond and I joined in. Friends were interviewed...We captured images of camels, dancing midgets and mandalas in India; embryo transfers and baby showers... and the boys’ birth... the Blessing and the sharing of vows... Sacred moments that were surreal and filled with emotion. The camera, a silent witness to what would become 12 years of the unfolding chapters in our families’ lives.

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On several occasions, we tried to find the invisible thread of meaning to make sense out of the mosaic video record we continued to add on to. We had lived through it

all... and it was all going so fast... so we did our best to document the many stages, but we were too close to it all to find the way the mosaic fit together. As with everything synchronistic surrounding this story, our path connected with Heather Winters, our fearless director, and Lennon Nersesian, her editor in arms. Heather had produced a wonderful documentary, CLASS ACT, which Desmond had been interviewed to be a part of, and over dinner with Heather more than 6 years ago, I found myself relaying the wonderful story of how our twin boys, Roman and Nyro, had come to us. Our story captured Heather’s interest and touched her profoundly and it soon became evident that she had the vision and skill to make sense out of the then 10 years of footage we had accumulated. Around my 50th birthday celebration in Nashville, Heather conceived new interviews with Desmond, Angela, myself, but this time adding in Roman and Nyro, who were now old enough to share their understanding of the story of how they were born. Just passing moments in time. I knew we had to capture my mother, Mary Ann Shaw. Mom is an unassuming woman, but her faith, strength and spirit run deep. I knew that my mother’s journey is our nation’s journey... and the world’s journey from judgment and ignorance to acceptance and love. We finally felt that we had all the pieces of what would make a complete and compelling story. Heather and Lennon were the ones to break the code and figure out what it was that we wanted to say… after all these years.

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What we thought might end up being a gloriously expensive home movie has become a loving film full of heart and healing; lives inextricably woven together in magical and unexpected ways.
 

"TWO" is a testament to the universal power and ultimate triumph of love — that it is love that makes a family, affirming modern families may be modern in their making, but timelessly human at their core. 
 

Thank you for finding the way to tell our story, Heather and Lennon.

 

- Curtis Shaw Child