Canvas

I have had the privilege of being able to see Joe Greco's film, CANVAS, and it has profoundly affected me and my family. I am the president of a nonprofit called NAMI--National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is a support, education and advocacy organization for all those affected by mental illness.

When I first saw this film at a film festival, I knew it was something special and I wanted everyone I knew in my circles to see it. It had such an authentic quality and bravely showed some of the nuances involved in the turmoil inherent in having a loved one with a brain disorder. It changed some of the perceptions that my family had erroneously believed.

I hope that this film makes its way into the world at large, as it will serve a great purpose in de-stigmatizing those who struggle with the effects of mental illness. The writing was searingly honest, the portrayals sensitive and oh-so-believable. You really made a difference, Joe! Best Wishes, Jennifer

CANVAS should get at least a couple Academy Award nominations. Don't wait for it to come out in DVD.

Inspired by the true story of director Joe Greco's family) the film will touch audiences even more than A BEAUTIFUL MIND, because it's about an ordinary family confronting schizophrenia, rather than a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician. People identify with it--in part because it's not simply about mental illness. It is dramatic, heart-breaking, frightening at times, but also heart-warming, with moments of humor and a bottom-line message of hope. As a small, independent film, CANVAS probably is the LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE of 2007. Sailing, oil painting, and a light house provide key metaphors. Some angles of special interest:

•Award winner Marcia Gay Harden plays Mary Marino, the mother, who becomes ill with schizophrenia. It's a difficult role for any actor to play. I want to hear her talk about it when she accepts her Oscar (it will be her second).

•Emmy winner Joe Pantoliano delivers a powerful, sensitive performance that is a dramatic contrast to the tough guy, wise guy, bad guy roles he played in "The Sopranos" and movies like RISKY BUSINESS and the MATRIX. Play the role personally affected him--he told a NAMI audience this summer that he now realizes that his mother probably suffered from undiagnosed, untreated, mental illness that shaped his own turbulent childhood. He's a sweetheart in the movie, much like he is in real life (surprise).

•10-year old Devon Gearhart plays the son, Chris Marino, whose coming of age comes early. Here's an interesting fact. When he was six, he appeared with Ray Charles, teaching him to play "Chopsticks," in a television commercial for the Georgia State Lottery (He's from Atlanta). He practically stole the show during the NAMI questions and answers.

If you come from a family in which there's a history of schizophrenia, take a few uninitiated friends to see it--or send them DVDs as gifts once they go on sale. CANVAS is the real deal, without stereotypes or gloom and doom. It's educational, but most of all, it's dramatic entertainment.

A very touching, low-key drama dealing with the instability of mental illness inside a southern Floridian families household. As viewed through the saddened lens of this up and coming, very good child actor Devon Gearhart, Canvas tries hard to pull at our heartstrings and often succeeds, especially in the first half of this family odyssey. What cooled the film down a bit for me however was a sappy conclusion, leaving viewers with a pleasant enough aftertaste but ultimately betraying some of the honesty and raw emotion portrayed in the first two acts.

Even as the nuanced performances of Joe Pantoliano and Marcia Gay Harden as the struggling couple dig deep into our hearts, writer-director Joseph Greco chooses to go the safe route when wrapping up his small, mildly powerful family film. Although the final twenty minutes or so were somewhat disappointing for it's matter-of-fact, afternoon school special triumph in the face of uncertainty, the movie is undoubtedly emotionally strong in spots, producing quite a few profoundly poignant, tear-jerking moments that will have many running for the hankies.

CANVAS is an autobiographical story by writer/director Joseph Greco and knowing that fact helps to forgive some of the weaknesses of the film. The story - how a family copes with the presence of paranoid schizophrenia and survives - comes from the heart and is as frank a film about the subject of mental illness as any out there. And for all the inherent tendencies to play it as a soap opera, the overriding effect is one of sharing lives challenged by the presence of a crushing disease.

Mary Marino (Marcia Gay Harden) has been afflicted with paranoid schizophrenia for nearly two years and her disease has affected her marriage to her working husband John (Joe Pantoliano in his best role to date) and her eleven year old son Chris (Devon Gearhart): John misses work to care for Mary and still pay for her mounting hospitalization and medical bills and Chris suffers abuse form his mocking school friends, frequently having to explain away his mother's erratic behavior. Mary paints (therapy) the same scene repeatedly, hears voices, and finally refuses to stay on her meds, a fact that results in her long-term hospitalization in a Psychiatric Hospital. John and Chris continue to love Mary despite the radical changes in their lives and each finds a means of coping: John goes on sick leave to build a sailboat for his wife and son in his backyard (he and Mary met and fell in love on a sailboat), and Chris takes up one of Mary's hobbies - sewing patches on shirts - and finds an audience and acceptance and income at his school. How the father and son survive and conquer their challenge presented by the mental illness of Mary serves to provide the ending to this story.

Each of the actors is excellent, especially Pantoliano. Harden is a solid actress but the script fails to capture the essence of her response to her disease. The film feels disjointed and inconsistent and has holes of undeveloped subplots and lines of thought that keep the movie grounded. But knowing that the story is true encourages the viewer to forgive the flaws and appreciate the tough subject matter that should help every viewer to better understand the effect of mental illness on a family. Grady Harp

This is a small little film that slipped in under the radar--the sort of film that probably never made it to your local theater and you've probably never heard of it. That's a real shame, as it's a wonderful film about a real and very serious problem--schizophrenia. Despite the seriousness of the problem (affecting about 1% of the public and indirectly affecting many others), very few films seriously deal with it. Well, here there is an amazingly realistic portrayal of a mother decompensating, but the real focus on the film is her family and their relationships with each other. In particular, her elementary-aged son, as he struggles to understand what's happening with Mom as well as eventually coming to terms with the reality that she's probably never going to be "normal" again. It was a brave decision not to give this film a clear or happy ending--as life with this illness rarely is like a movie.

Very insightful, heart-felt and real--this is a film I would like to use when I teach my psychology classes about the illness. If schizophrenia has affected someone you love, then this is a must-see. For others, I still recommend it, as you'll learn a lot and despite the tears, you'll also see some amazing acting and writing.

FYI--Joe Pantoliano not only starred in this film but he produced the film as well. Joseph Greco both wrote and directed it. Great job.