55 Days is a documentary film about the lasting effects of war. Set in present day Arizona where Sharri Regalado, 27, and her six-year-old daughter, Jaimie, live. The film is an inward emotional journey through the past 6 years of Sharri’s memories during which her husband, Jose, a Sargent in the U.S. Army was deployed to Iraq, their daughter was born, and only months later, Jose was killed.
Jose’s death was devastating and continues to be, even now, 6 years later, where Sharri feels ‘stuck’ — unable to heal enough to start moving forward with her life. And as Jaimie gets older, Sharri has begun realizing that it’s time for her to figure out her own identity — apart from being a mother, a wife, or now, a widow.
The film touches on the longer lasting consequences of war which take place in everyday American homes in the hearts and lives of military families. The film also hints at the future for children like Jaimie, who are growing up without a parent, as well as the challenge for single parents, like Sharri, to raise those children alone while also carrying the emotional burden of lasting grief. Sharri’s takes her grief into her own hands, deciding that she is ready to move on with her life.