Through verité, follow us, Mary (Producer) and Dave (Director), as our relationship is tested by the stress of working from home, the anxiety of keeping our children safe, and the frustrations of trying to teach our two children remotely. Dave tries to connect with his daughter, Aven, but she struggles with remote 3rd grade and isolation from her peers. In response, she withdraws. As virtual Pre-K becomes the norm for Carter, household and childcare obligations pile almost entirely onto Mary. She confronts Dave behind the camera: “I’m nobody’s maid.”

In the claustrophobic world of JUST US, Mary’s inner voice finds release through private videos to her sister: “I thought I was going back to work when Carter started school, but now I’m still at home.” On a school call, a mother unloads her frustration with school educators: “Our family cannot financially or psychologically keep kids at home.” In the end, as our son Carter enters the school building for the first time, there’s a feeling of relief for Mary and other women like her.

Our story illuminates the disproportionate domestic burden placed on women and offers a unique glimpse into how adult-child relationships impact a child’s social-emotional development.