Melanie Lobel

A filmmaker explores his family's 30-year hidden secret through home videos, despite risks to everyone's safety. Based on Mike Lobel's investigation into what his parents kept from him and his siblings.

They were taught one rule: never ask Dad what he does. Don’t Come Upstairs is a documentary that unravels the secret filmmaker Mike Lobel’s father Eric kept hidden—his decades-long role as a prominent drug distributor in Canada. Told through home videos and interviews with family members, this isn’t just about Eric’s double life—it’s about the impact his secrecy had on his family. Exploring generational trauma, the fallout of parental choices, and the hope that comes with facing hard truths in pursuit of healing and connection, Lobel's film builds to a final familial confrontation where one more truth is revealed.