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Shattered Dreams

1989 27 min
Leaving soon

Shattered Dreams is a powerful and emotional exploration of the experiences of a family forced to deal with the tragedy of schizophrenia in a loved one; not once, but twice. The Martini family of Calgary lived through the turmoil of losing their youngest son Ben to schizophrenia and eventually suicide, only to discover six years later that a second son, Liv, has developed the disease. Clem Martini, a third brother, narrates the film, sharing with us his family's journey through a world of confusion, guilt, loss and ultimately, hope. (Broadcast on CBC's Man Alive series.)

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Shattered Dreams

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Shattered Dreams is a powerful and emotional exploration of the experiences of a family forced to deal with the tragedy of schizophrenia in a loved one; not once, but twice. The Martini family of Calgary lived through the turmoil of losing their youngest son Ben to schizophrenia and eventually suicide, only to discover six years later that a second son, Liv, has developed the disease. Clem Martini, a third brother, narrates the film, sharing with us his family's journey through a world of confusion, guilt, loss and ultimately, hope. (Broadcast on CBC's Man Alive series.)

  • director
    Wendy Hill-Tout
  • producer
    Dale Phillips
  • executive producer
    Graydon McCrea
  • cinematography
    James Jeffrey
  • sound
    George Tarrant
    Per Asplund
  • editing
    Per Asplund
  • sound editing
    Per Asplund
  • re-recording
    David Cochrane
  • narrator
    Clem Martini
  • music
    Dean Miles
    David Hill-Tout

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Education

Ages 14 to 18
School subjects

Warnings: Suicide (gun use), some offensive language (term used derogatively for a person with an intellectual disability), attempted suicide

How do different approaches from both parents and siblings define how the family deals with Ben’s suicide? What major shift happens when the family begins to work through Liv’s diagnosis? Does a mental health diagnosis such as schizophrenia have similar treatments today? Explore the evolution of treatment of schizophrenia from 1989, when this film was released, to today. How has the genetic component of schizophrenia affected Clem’s view of the world, his family and his ideas about mental health treatment in general?

Shattered Dreams
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