IF MENTAL HEALTH WAS CLEAR AS ANY GIVEN DAY @HOT DOCS 2021

Here on FERNTV, we have covered many films that deal with mental illness and mental health issues. We do not shy away from how sensitive the subject is and how the stigma surrounding it should be removed. Co-presented with Workman Arts and the Rendezvous with Madness Festival, the film Any Given Day has given light to an original idea. That being filmmakers who were also experiencing mental health issues getting behind the camera to film mental health stories. The film is now available online at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival.

Director Margaret Byrne gets in front and behind the camera of this film following three subjects by the names of Angela, Dimitar and Daniel. They are experiencing mental health issues and all have a different story to share. They have been given the opportunity to be on a specialized probation program by the Cook County Jail in Chicago for the crimes they have committed. When we spoke with Margaret she would describe how difficult the selection process was. Not everyone in this program wanted to share their story or panned out in the film. When she included her own self in Any Given Day, this documentary became more compelling allowing the audience to feel greater empathy towards the subjects and Margaret Byrne.

Angela

Angela is a preschool teacher and a mother of four. She is an example of what it means to be a product of your environment. Her life did not start on the right track when she was sexually abused at a foster home. This traumatic experience fuelled her pathway to being part of the mental probation program at the Cook County Jail. But you can see her constant frustration when showing up before a judge repeatedly. We feel her pain knowing that this is a redundant process. Furthermore, that this program might not even be able to really help her situation in the long run. We see Angela struggle with a low-paying job at a car wash. As well as the safety of the housing project that she lives in. The audience can see that Angela’s situation will be difficult to get out of.

Dimitar

Dimitar is the one that the audience wants to root for and is behind 100%. Being close to his mother and moving from Bulgaria to the city of Chicago is not an easy transition especially at the age of 10. He became an outsider at school inspiring him to look the social sciences. Dimitar is also a great writer having published a book called State of Schizophrenia during the mental probation program. You can see his improvement all those times he comes before the judge. Although, Dimitar has substance abuse and addiction issues where it is very easy to fall off the wagon. You engage with his journey in hopes that he passes this program with flying colours.

Daniel

When you watch Daniel in this film, you can see that he sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Having spent two years at a mental health facility, Daniel is on his way to get his first apartment. These are stepping stones to his full recovery and being part of society. We learn that Daniel was an aspiring fashion designer and wanted to create shoes. But now he needs to keep his shoes and his nose clean to sustain his type of living. Daniel’s story is much different than the others we don’t want to see him fall. The support of his sister and teaching how to cook Jamaican is heart warming as he learns the essentials of life.

Margaret Byrne

Director Margaret Byrne is a godsend for committing to this project that took nearly half a decade to make. When we spoke to her about the process of making the film, she replied that it was emotionally draining and taxing. She did not sugarcoat this experience. As she should because she also put herself and her mental health issues in the line of fire. She was hospitalized during the filming which made her appreciate her subjects that much more. As a result, she used a creative yet sensitive lens to narrate these important stories. She is a single mother to a daughter who she included in the film and found it challenging. Margaret is also a mother to all in her all-female collective group Beti Films.

FILMMAKING TIP: Margaret used the Sony FS7 Camera along with some Fuji lenses in the film

It’s nice to see filmmakers doing projects that would deal with mental health to raise awareness and lower the stigma. Yet it is a whole new perspective when a filmmaker like Margaret Byrne who has struggled with mental health gets behind the camera. The director aligns himself appropriately with his subjects and their relationship in front or behind the camera is that much better. The filmmaker has more of a responsibility and obligation to tell the right story. Doing this would only identify the issues at hand in a clearer light. Because mental health is a complicated subject, it should be handled by those who know it or lives it. Rather than getting a blurry picture, we get one that could be clear as a blue sky.

http://www.betifilms.com/

https://anygivendayfilm.com/

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