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Chris is autistic, living on his own for more than 30 years, and a talented artist of some renown. Yet behind his cheerful paintings lies a powerful story of a family struggling to keep hold of mental health, wealth, and love. "Dad's in heaven with President Nixon - dad hated his guts, but in heaven they're friends". Walking with one of his brothers, on the very beach where his father walked into the waves and drowned, Chris introduces us to the man at the centre of the Murray family. When Chris began to exhibit autistic tendencies as a toddler - no one knew what was wrong with him. His devoted mother knew that "there was still some way to reach him". But for his bipolar father, as for so many coping with an autistic child, autism was a permanent wall.
According to brother Tom, Chris's dad's death "set off a spark in Chris". His grief emerged in cheerful primary-coloured paintings of New York city's urban landscape: meticulously crafted and produced at a rapid rate. "I saw them, I loved them, and I wanted to own a few", says Tim Isenberg, a collector. Soon, Chris's artwork was hanging in galleries rather than on his family's walls, selling for a small fortune.
"Dad's proud of me. I'm a great artist", Chris tells his brother with complete sincerity. Yet the reality is, Chris's father had grown up with no love from his own father; an experience which left him "incapable of real intimacy". As the slide into debt, depression, and divorce began, Chris's mother was determined to protect a confused Chris, and the two developed an unbreakable bond. Yet 10 years later, it's Chris who gives support and inspiration to his siblings, still recovering from the scars of their unpredictable father.
Chris still paints "just for fun" laughs brother Tom. He sees his real work as the jobs he's loved for almost 20 years as both a janitor and a supermarket stock boy. "I'll do those jobs forever, I love them". But forever is a very long time. "No don't die mom", Chris says in a matter-of-fact way. "I won't be doing that for a long time!" laughs his mother, hugging her grown-up son close. Chris's mother knows that if anything did happen, Chris would probably be stronger than his siblings. Happy, fulfilled, and constantly inspired, Chris likes his life, just as it is.
As the lives revolving around this unique individual are tenderly drawn together, this documentary reveals a family's soul.
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"Thomas Murray weaves these interlocking stories together expertly" - NEW YORK TIMES
"I loved [the film's] honesty and beauty and passion and generosity". - NEWSDAYTwo Sons Productions
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| Making the film |
DIRECTOR- TOM MURRAY - "I'd always wanted to make a film about my mother and my brother and their life together - her love and belief and his journey from darkness to light. I didn't want to go NEAR the story of my father - way too raw and sad and painful. But then I went through some challenging times in my life, loss of a job and a divorce among them, and in early 2008 I was pulling some boxes out of the garage and there it was - a carton containing 65 tins of 8 and 16 mm film. I'd always had it, ever since my dad died, and I remembered watching the films when I was a little boy, flickering black and white images of my grandfather, my father and his brother and sisters, when they were kids in the late 1920s and early 1930s." |
| The Producers |
Tom Murray, the writer, producer and director, began his career as a print journalist. He then segued into television news, spending more than half of his 20 year career as an anchor/reporter in Los Angeles, CA. In 2001 Murray launched his production company, Two Sons Productions (named for his sons Tommy and Leigh) and has been involved as a writer/producer/director and host of a variety of projects for a wide array of networks, the subject matter ranging from sports to crime to fine wine. |
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