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HOLDING THE SUN is the story of the Millar family's desperate attempts, over a period of two years, to save their beloved son from the insidious symptoms of schizophrenia. On May 30th, 1997, Ruth Millar wrote to her estranged husband, "..... Aaron is looking quite psychotic these days, he causes no harm, he just lives in his own world. I cannot hug him or be affectionate to him as he does not like close contact - so unlike the warm and loving Aaron we once knew ......" Later that day, while Ruth stood in the kitchen of the family home in Victoria, her 24 year old son silently walked up behind her and plunged a ceremonial sword through her back, instantly piercing her heart. Three months prior to Ruth's murder, Aaron had been arrested for cutting satellite cables at CHEK TV and at the Times Colonist newspaper. He was dressed in camouflage gear, wore a gas mask and was wrapped in tin foil to stop the incessant alien messages that played in his head. In HOLDING THE SUN he describes something of the phenomena: ..... I'd speak what they were saying .... so I was being used as kind of like a microphone..... " The tragic irony of this story is that Ruth finally got the help she so desperately wanted for her son - however the price was her life and the destruction of her family. Ramsay Millar, Ruth's husband of 28 years, called for, and achieved, a coroner's inquest. The Jury made 31 recomendations for changes in the mental health system: Ramsay says: "We have to educate people about this disease. Education is the key ...it's more important than money...compassion and education...we don't need fear. To me fear is the opposite of compassion." Christine Millar, Aaron's elder sister, struggles with the pain of her brother's disease and the grief of losing her mother, but shows the depth of her strength and understanding in coming to terms with the tragedy: " I went through one period of time where I was really angry. Like, how dare he? ... but always with the counter half of it going - he can't help it, loo k what he's got to live with now... HOLDING THE SUN tells the story of the Millar's efforts to access the mental health system and how the justice system failed them. It documents Aaron's medical treatment, and what he describes as his "return to reality", and the surviving family's ongoing effort to reconcile their grief and anger in order to rebuild their shattered lives. HOLDING THE SUN provides a window for countless Canadian families who struggle to cope with schizophrenia, a disease that steals away one percent of our sons and daughters. Peter Campbell teaches documentary and drama production at the Victoria Motion Picture School. He is now in production on several documentaries for CBC and the University of Victoria. Writer/Researcher Noni Peck Aaron Millar's character and production assistant John Cowan Associate Producer Penny Joy Gumboot Productions Inc. Film & Television Production Studio A - 666 Herald Street (250) 360-1213 Victoria, British Columbia (Fax) 360-2033 Canada (e-mail) gumboot@pinc.com V8W 1S7. |