A 17-minute film shouldn’t feel this big, but Chest Candy lingers like a conversation you’ve needed for years. We sit down with writer-director-actor Robert Golphin to unpack the story of a Black Army veteran fighting PTS, the collateral grief his family carries, and the cultural scripts that keep too many people from asking for help. Robert didn’t wear the uniform, but he built this film shoulder to shoulder with veterans, military family members, and mental health advisors—so the details ring true to those who live them.
We walk through the film’s origins, from a small acting scene that wouldn’t let go, to years of research and revisions, to a production that embraced constraints. A lost location became a horse farm in Spring City, Pennsylvania, and that tight, lived-in house gave the movie its heartbeat: a palpable sense of being boxed in. Casting pulled the story deeper—Lauren Michelle Morgan’s quiet resolve as the spouse, Ariana Pratt’s presence as a military child, and Joey Collins’s haunting embodiment of the commanding voice that never fully leaves. Along the way, we confront systemic hurdles around veteran benefits, the particular weight Black veterans can face, and the generational divide between “push through” and “get help.”
This conversation isn’t about a Hollywood ending. It’s about honesty, dignity, and leaving space for hope without pretending recovery is linear. If you or someone you love has navigated PTS, hypervigilance, or complicated reintegration, this story will feel familiar—and seen. Chest Candy is free on YouTube, and your share might be the nudge that gets the right eyes on it. Watch, pass it to your battle buddies, and tell us what stayed with you. If the episode moved you, subscribe, leave a review, and share this with someone who cares about veterans and families.
