Shot in the inner city of New Haven with the help of the community.
Originally the first act of a longer story, this short is used to discuss violence and ethnic tensions in the inner city. The title is a metaphor for how Americans lose their ethnic origins, half-life by half-life.
The shots in the Cheshire prison feature 20 real prisoners and guards who generously agreed to be in the film. The cast and crew mingled with the inmates without any incidents.