Canvas

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.

This film is really one of the few which touches deep in your heart. Each of the characters have rightly justified their roles. The husband the Kid and the mother. I really appreciate the work of the kid in this film. As I don't know much about the actors and directors but I would really like to say that they have done a really great job.

The films revolves around a family which has a Mother who is mentally ill, the father who is a carpenter and their son who really copes up with everyone the neighbours, his friends and mainly with his mom.

Even though he is sacred of his mom sometimes. Because she might embarrass him in-front of his friends.

I would recommend this film to everyone who likes serious films.

Thats all folks.... Watch it.....

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!

2006 CANVAS; A remarkable movie that works the local communities beautiful surroundings into a film that accepts the challenge to deal with mental illness in today's family lifestyle. The acting looms large with intense moments of diversity and sadness wrapped with an uncertain ending. The script was outstanding, as the cast was able to perform with more non verbal communication that allowed for creative thinking by the audience on how someone could deal with such hardship. CANVAS also seemed to bring out a lot of different social circles and issues that are challenged by the cast's talents and diversity, which also sent out a positive message. Marsha Gay Harden set the bar very high with such a high degree believability on the difficulty to role playing medical responses to prescription medication. Adding all the outstanding qualities of this film, Performance, Script, and Direction, should lead this film to a bright future and exceptional movie review opportunities... Take a Bow, For A Job Well Done. Jim Secord, U.S. CIVIL SERVICE