Christina Sledge’s short film, Joined By Fate, tells the fate-filled story of her 20+ year marriage to her husband, Eddie. Though the two were born in the same hospital, their childhoods could not be more different. Born in New York, his life was one of trauma and tragedy. Before being pregnant, Eddie’s mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her only coping mechanism was doing coke. Soon after Eddie’s birth, his mother committed suicide. He would then be raised by his father and his new stepmom, which brought complications.
On the other hand, Christine’s life was also surrounded by the same temptations and violence of drugs that Eddie faced. She survived only through the love and mentorship of her family and friends. As she grew up, they encouraged her to work hard for her education.
As Joined By Fate continues, we learn about Eddie and Christina’s on-and-off-again relationship as Brooklyn High School sweethearts. We glimpse into that brief window of time that forced the two to make the most important decisions of their lives. Was this fate calling, planting tiny seeds in their lives along the way?
“…tells the fate-filled story of her 20+ year marriage to her husband…”
Joined By Fate covers the events leading up to their whirlwind marriage. As a documentary, it’s fairly no frills. Eddie and Christina share their sides of the story in talking-head interviews. Interspersed with their discussions, photos of their childhood and teenage years are woven in.
The film relies on the fact that we want to hear nearly impossible stories. Maybe, it’s the reassurance that there’s something bigger and greater out there in the world running things. Or perhaps it’s the idea that we overthink our lives a little too much and should trust our instincts once in a while.
While the majority of us still have to work hard, laboring away on apps to find our life partners, Joined By Fate is one of those stories that believes in fairy-tale romance. To me, Eddie and Christina’s story is like winning the lottery. Though the odds of finding love this way is one in a million, maybe it’s pre-destined that this little review will lead the right someone to discover this.
For screening information, visit the Joined By Fate official website.
"…maybe it's pre-destined that this little review will lead the right someone to discover this."
