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

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.

I had great expectations before seeing this movie, and it fell far short of those expectations. I think the acting and cinematography were well done, and I liked the music, but the story didn't convince me of the actual anxiety and angst people in these situations feel. The father has less time and energy to work and mounting medical bills, yet he has money for supplies to build a boat and the time and energy to build it? I would also expect to see a little more anger on the father's part, but I guess Joe Pantoliano is such a nice guy, we couldn't expect him to be angry.

The movie was okay. When I see these glowing reviews, however, I wonder if I was watching the same movie. It came across to me like a Hallmark movie or one of those after-school specials they used to show on TV in the '80s. I live in a family struggling with mental illness, and I like to feel hope, but not false, sailing-into-the-sunset hope.

I saw the film at the Sarasota Film Festival. At it's completion, the entire audience gave the film a standing ovation - truly a rare occurrence. I felt the performances by Joe Pantoliano and Marcia Gay Harden were inspired, the film provided a compassionate perspective on schizophrenia and the story was compelling. The subject is challenging to begin with, but this story not only highlighted a serious, often unspoken disease, it bought it out in a light that will prove inspirational for those who have been exposed to this life challenge. I was amazed at the realistic performance by young actor Devon Gearhart. Congratulations to Joe Greco - definitely a young filmmaker to watch!

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