Aftermath: The Legacy of Suicide

200150 min 5 secFilm: Documentary

Direction: Lisa Fitzgibbons

Production: Jacques Ménard

Script: Lisa Fitzgibbons

How can children accept a parent's death when it is shrouded in silence, evasions and half-truths? The children live with a legacy of grief and guilt, feeling abandoned and always wondering, "Was it my fault?"

Filmmaker Lisa Fitzgibbons grew up with the uneasy feeling that things were not as they seemed. Then she finally learned that her father had ended his life. Surprised to discover that she is not alone, she reaches out to other survivors and meets two people who also lost their fathers to suicide at an early age. Robert describes the 30 long years it took to force the truth into the open. Anne-Marie still regrets her refusal as a child to kiss her father goodbye before leaving for school that last morning.

We listen to their stories, presented simply and compassionately against a background of poetic images. In speaking of their experiences, buried emotions resurface. Hope is reborn as all three come to terms with their fathers' death - and with their own lives.

In French with English subtitles.

Other versions


Subject categories


  • Psychology and Psychiatry > Family LifeLife and DeathPsychological ProcessesSuicide
  • Families > Parent-Child Relationships
  • Family Studies/Home Economics > Child Development
  • Media Education > Documentary Film
  • Health/Personal Development > Mental Health/Stress/Suicide

Credits


participant
Anne-Marie Bégin
Caroline Bégin
Claire Bégin
Jean-Olivier Bégin
Ariane Lussier-Thuot
Éléonore Lussier-Thuot
Robert Thuot
Sarah Villeneuve
writer
Lisa Fitzgibbons
director
Lisa Fitzgibbons
script consultant
Georgette Duchaine
director of photography
François Vincelette
director of photography - assistant
Pierre Lachapelle
location sound
Marie-France Delagrave
picture editing
Sarah Bachinski
sound design
Daniel Toussaint
music editing
Daniel Toussaint
production manager
Doris Lapierre
consulting psychologist
Sophie Péchère
additional research
Mireille Vézeau
stills photographer
Brian Deines
dialogue editor
Francine Poirier
narration
Lisa Fitzgibbons
re-recording
Serge Boivin
Jean Paul Vialard
online editing
Sylvain Desbiens
titles
Louise Overy
subtitles
Kathleen Fleming
technical coordination
Marysol Moran
distribution officer
Nicole Côté
administrative assistant
Joanne Bélisle
assistant to the producer
Françoise Dutan
producer (development)
Yves Bisaillon
producer
Jacques Ménard