• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Forces of Geek

we like pop culture.

  • Home
  • FOG!
    • About FOG!
    • Contributors
    • Submissions
  • Pop Culture
    • Columns/Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Special Features
  • Reviews
    • Books/Comics
    • Clothing/Misc.
    • Merchandise / Collectibles
    • Movies/Blu-ray/DVD
    • Television
    • Toys and Games
  • Interests
    • Art/Collectibles
    • Books
    • Comics
    • Gadgets/Tech
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Other
    • Podcasts
    • Television
    • Toys and Games
  • Contests
    • Screening
    • Giveaway

Double Feature Movie Show: LET’S BE DEPRESSED WITH FILMMAKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

November 13, 2015 by Stefan Blitz

ShareTweet

The Holidays are fast approaching and you all know what that means, right?

Yep. Seasonal Depression!

Don’t worry. I’m not about to make light of mental illness. I would never do that. I have too many very good friends who suffer from varying degrees of these illnesses to do that.

What I will do, though, is introduce you to two documentaries about mentally ill individuals that are made by filmmakers who knew them very well.

These films do not end well.

They are sad.

They are HIGHLY depressing.

And they are all too true.

BOY INTERRUPTED (2009)
Directed by Dana Heinz Perry

Evan Perry was 15 years old when he took his own life. He left behind his parents (the makers of this film), a half-brother and a lot of really good friends.

What drove him to commit suicide?

Bipolar disorder and depression.

That’s the simplest answer…and really, the only answer. He had a loving family and friends who loved him. Unfortunately, he had run out of trust and felt that no one really loved him anymore. He was a burden. He needed to end it all.

The thing is, Evan was a good kid. He was smart. He was loving.

When the illnesses took over, though, things went horribly wrong. He had some problems in school even with the authorities. But those things went away when he got treatment. His entire life turned around. It’s amazing, though, how one thing can destroy all the good that has been built up.

Boy Interrupted is everything you think it is.

It’s sad. It’s depressing. It’s heartbreaking. It’s also essential viewing for anyone who knows someone with an emotional illness. Help them. Hold them. Tell them you love them. Get. Them. Help.

Without some sort of professional interference, it may not end in suicide, but it won’t end well. For anyone.

DEAR ZACHARY: A LETTER TO A SON ABOUT HIS FATHER (2008)
Directed by Kurt Kuenne

Andrew Bagby was one of those guys that everyone loved. He was a loyal friend to filmmaker, Kurt Kuenne. So loyal that he was in every one of his films growing up. He thrived on being in those films. When he went away to college to be a doctor, he would STILL be in Kurt’s films. They were friends to the end.

Unfortunately, Andrew’s end came suddenly and FAR too early. He met a girl named Shirley. He realized that Shirley was not well. He broke up with Shirley.

Then he was murdered in the park near his apartment. Shot to death. Was it Shirley?

All signs point to yes.

Of course, Andrew’s mother and father (Kathleen and David) go after her. But she flees to Canada and everything goes to hell. The Canadian government decide that, since she was specifically violent towards one person, and that person is now dead, she is no longer a threat to anyone else.

Um…..what?

Then the bombshell: She’s pregnant. With Andrew’s baby. The baby is born and, sure enough, he’s Andrew’s kiddo. Kathleen and David move to Canada to be near their grandson, but they can’t wrestle custody away from this dangerous and paranoid woman.

To say more would rob this film of its power. It’s narrated by Kurt as if he’s going to give this to little Zachary when he grows up to let him know his father and know what happened to him.

On the surface, Dear Zachary is an indictment of the Canadian justice system that would allow an individual to walk free on the streets after murdering someone in cold blood. But it’s also a portrait of an incredibly disturbed woman. It’s obvious that there was more at work here than just “I love him and no one else can have him.” Shirley was psychotic, depressed and probably many, many other things.



I saw both of these films very recently. Of all of the horror films I saw this October, these two sat with me the hardest.

And they’ll last with me longer than any of them.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Pocket
  • Share on Tumblr

Related Posts

  • Double Feature Movie Show: MOVIE REMIX

    With all the hubbub about sampling…15 years ago…it seems that the time is right to…

  • Double Feature Movie Show: GASLIGHTING ABBIE

    Have you ever wanted to drive someone insane? Have you ever wanted to make someone…

  • Double Feature Movie Show: CULT HIT!

    What makes a group a cult? Is it a fanatical belief in something absurd? Well,…

Filed Under: General Tagged: Depression, Documentary, Double Feature, Family, Movies/DVD, Written by Mark Wensel

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • ‘The Nude Bomb’, The 1980 ‘Get Smart!’ Movie Starring Don Adams, Comes to Blu-ray 12/10 December 6, 2019
  • Win ‘The Driver’ Starring Mark Dacascos on DVD! December 6, 2019
  • First Look ‘Wonder Woman #750’ December 6, 2019
  • Win ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ 4k Ultra Blu-ray! December 6, 2019
  • This May, Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips Spin Tale of ’30s Era Crime in OGN Hardcover, ‘Pulp’ December 6, 2019

INTERVIEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

  • FOG! Talks ‘ROM & The Micronauts #1’ With Writer Christos Gage!
  • FOG! Chats With Pop Culture Artist BRANDON BIRD
  • FOG! Chats With Writer Mark Russell About The Arrival of ‘The Second Coming’
  • FOG! Chats With Jeff Rougvie, Creator of ‘Gunning For Hits’
  • SDCC – FOG! Chats With ‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ Screenwriter Brian Azzarello
Online Casino Betway
Claws and Saucers

Footer

Connect with FOG!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

DISCLAIMER: Forces of Geek is protected from liability under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions. All posts are submitted by volunteer contributors who have agreed to our Code of Conduct. FOG! will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please contact us for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content.

Copyright © 2019 — Forces of Geek • All rights reserved.

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.