HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - Educational Media Reviews Online | BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY - Macon Film Festival | BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY - Nevada Women's Film Festival
Family Studies • Gender Studies • Social Work • Men's Studies • Trauma • Psychology • HealthDate of Completion: 2017 | Run Time: 72 minutes | Language: English | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript | Director: Linda J. Brown | Associate Producer: Rebecca Louisell
Filmmaker Linda Brown’s father embodied 1960s masculinity. But when a devastating stroke leaves him vulnerable and dependent, Brown decides to confront the silence surrounding his troubled and violent past. Drawing on home movies, family photos, and interviews, she reveals secrets, uncovers lies, and explores family dynamics, gender roles and the legacy of abuse. What begins as an intimate, autobiographical story about caregiving, loss, and grief evolves into a universal look at the impact of trauma, the tragedy of mental illness and the meaning of family. Throughout the film, Brown raises questions like: Why is it important to make sense of one’s parents? What is to be gained from understanding them, especially in late life? How do we lay to rest a family member who has repeatedly hurt others and caused pain? Her search for answers helps viewers appreciate the danger of taking unresolved grief to our graves, and the consequences of neglecting to confront and treat deep-rooted emotional pain. YOU SEE ME is a brave film that documents the essence of the human condition and seeks to face the past with courage in order to change the future.
Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO) | Kay Hogan Smith, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences
"This is an intimate story, eloquently articulated on film through an interweaving series of home movie clips from the family archives and current documentary and interviews. In the process, this personal story embraces universal truths of unhappy families everywhere regarding the cycles of rejection and abuse, depression, and the imperative pursuit of love and forgiveness. Highly recommended, especially for audiences interested in family dynamics and mental health."
Booklist | Candace Smith
"This is a very personal documentary, but it will offer insights to viewers who are facing family struggles with mental illness, grief, and aging."
Emory University | Sarah Blanton, PT, DPT, NCS, Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine
"A profoundly moving exploration of how the wounds we carry in our life stories may surface as we encounter illness, You See Me provides a fiercely honest personal reflection of a family impacted by trauma and loss. Personally, we learn questions all families need to ask of themselves and professionally, we gain insights into the critical importance of the clinician to understand the person behind the disease and the family impact of a diagnosis. A vivid example of how humanities can illustrate the complex journey of disability, suffering and shared healing, this films serves as a valuable educational tool for rehabilitation professionals to understand the meaning of family-focused care."
USC School of Cinematic Arts & Keck School of Medicine | Marientina Gotsis, Dir. Creative Media & Behavioral Health Center
"You See Me is the quintessential portrait of an American family facing an acute health crisis and its long-term repercussions. Linda Brown’s father experiences a debilitating stroke, which becomes a magnifying lens for all the strong and weak points of their family unit. The film can launch many discussions about family, illness, end-of-life, a well-lived life, and the nature of grief and loss."
White Memorial Medical Center | Michael Hernandez, M.D. Geriatric Psychiatrist and Director
"You See Me deals with mental health topics so sensitive they are seldom talked about. I never thought a film could be so powerful in exposing such delicate subjects. A definite training video for families and health professionals that can help put an end to the stigma around mental health."
USC School of Social Work | Rafael Angulo, Social Work Professor
"An extraordinary film! To view the 'big, bold, and bossy' Stanley is to really see the broken and wounded Stanley. So many scenes captured my heart first as a man and then as a social worker. The film is perfect for psychoanalytic training institutes, outpatient mental health clinics, graduate programs of psychology, social work and psychiatry, men’s groups, and parent education programs."
Kansas State University | Rick J. Scheidt, PhD, School of Family Studies and Human Services
"Like Linda, many adults share a sustained interest in learning more about their mothers or fathers as individuals—beyond the censorship and camouflage oftentimes imposed but never removed in performance of their parental roles. You See Me has much to offer those who share a similar motive within their own lives. It has equal relevance as a unique video case study, revealing a dysfunctional family scenario containing sad and potentially tragic forces that prevent a full and open expression of love between parents and children."
Best Feature Documentary | Macon Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary | Nevada Women’s Film Festival
Best Personal Film | Chain NYC Film Festival
Best Director Documentary Feature | Wild Rose Independent Film Festival
Best Editing | Sanford International Film Festival
Feature Documentary Jury Award | Columbia George Film Festival
Audience Award Winner | Richmond International Film Festival
Honorable Mention | Voice Award
Best Feature Documentary Nominee | Madrid International Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary Nominee | Queens World Film Festival
SCREENINGS
Temple University
West Chester University
University of Southern California
Saint Agnes Medical CenterGerontological Society of America Annual Meeting
Aging in America Conference
Director of YOU SEE ME
Linda Brown is a recipient of a Kodak Vision Award for cinematography, a Kodak Education Award and a Fulbright Scholar. She received an MFA degree at Temple University and studied cinematography at the American Film Institute (AFI). Her credits include LUCKY BASTARD, SEXUAL TENSION, TRUST DANCE and AMERICAN BEAUTIES: IN PURSUIT OF ART, which she also produced. Brown shot WALKING TO WALDHEIM with Doris Roberts and episodes of SHOWTIME’S WOMEN: STORIES OF PASSION, plus various documentaries and music videos throughout her long career. Brown’s latest documentary, YOU SEE ME is a brave film that documents the essence of the human condition and seeks to face the past with courage in order to change the future. What begins as an intimate, autobiographical story about caregiving, loss and grief evolves into a universal look at the impact of trauma, the tragedy of mental illness and the meaning of family. YOU SEE ME has screened internationally at over three dozen festivals and was nominated or won awards at a dozen including Richmond, Macon, Madrid and Columbia Gorge International Festivals. She has taught at AFI, Maine Media Workshops, City University of Hong Kong, Temple University, Malaysia Multi- Media University, and the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts. Linda is presently an Associate Professor at USC School of Cinematic Arts and Head of the Cinematography track.