Weekend Visits

Over the course of a single afternoon, we follow Jessi during an extended visitation with her 9-year-old child, Ryleigh. S/W alum Pete Quandt (Tuesday Afternoon) is back on our site with a new short documentary, Weekend Visits, offering an intimate look at the relationship between an incarcerated parent and her child. With his singular approach, Quandt captures the emotional depth and nuances of the visitation with striking sensitivity.

“Having had a family member incarcerated for the past decade, I’ve seen the toll that prolonged separation has on mothers and their children”, Quandt shared with us. He’s also very familiar with “the limitations that traditional visitation rooms offer” and how, in comparison, weekend visits – though rare – offer a better opportunity to connect. Fully aware of the invaluable opportunity this afternoon represented for both Jessi and Ryleigh, he aimed to capture the importance of the moment with minimal intrusion, allowing mother and child to get the best out of it.

Quandt tried to adopt an unobtrusive approach when capturing Jessi and Ryleigh spending some quality time together.

Before bringing a camera, Quandt got to spend some time with Jessi and Ryleigh during visitation weekends, building a rapport, and showing them his directorial style by sharing his previous short. Shot with a four-person crew – including Quandt, producer/screenwriter Hannah Whisenant, cinematographer Leroy Farrell and Garson Ormiston, who produced and recorded sound – they made sure to foster an environment where both their participants would feel at ease in front of the camera. That comfort allowing them to be able to bring the emotional poignancy of the narrative to the screen. 

As a “quiet” observational documentary, Weekend Visits captures the bond between mother and child through an emotional lens, engages us effectively through its intimacy rather than relying on a more factual approach – something often seen in stories about incarceration. The cinematography by Quandt and Farrell echoes that approach through discreet framing that never feels voyeuristic. The camera invites us into their world and almost makes the afternoon feel mundane – though we understand just how rare and meaningful it truly is.

A tender moment captured between Jessi & Ryleigh

From the footage shot over that afternoon, editor Chris Kelley builds an impactful narrative. The structure allowing us to see the strength of Jessi and Ryleigh’s relationship, while also revealing the subtle complexities caused by the impact of the incarceration. By keeping their story deeply personal, the film offers more than just a glimpse into their lives – it provides a greater understanding of the issue in general, painting a poignant portrait of the impact of the absence of an incarcerated mother.

Weekend Visits made its way around the festival circuit with notable stops at SFFILM, DOCNYC and Big Sky ahead of its online premiere as part of the New York Times Op-Docs catalog. Quandt is now expanding his previous short Tuesday Afternoon into a feature film, currently titled Timetracker, with hopes for a 2026 release. He’s also working on a film set in NYC, focused on the legacy of Robert Moses’ work, told through the experiences of the city’s unhoused population.