HEARTBREAKING DOC
The insidious power of mental illness
JUANICAS Documentary Directed by: Karina Garcia Casanova Running time: 77 minutes
There is no happy ending to Karina Garcia Casanova’s heartbreaking documentary Juanicas. The Montrealer turns the camera on herself and her troubled family in her directorial debut, which she began filming a decade ago.
At the time, her older brother Juan ( affectionately, Juanicas) was about to return from a stint in Mexico, whence the family had immigrated 20 years before.
An early scene of Karina and her mother solemnly going through boxes of Juan’s belongings in search of answers makes clear that something has happened to him, though we don’t immediately learn what.
Instead we are transported back in time, as she and her mom drive to pick him up on the other side of the U. S. border. Karina has brought along her camera for the occasion; still in film school, she has decided to document the reunion.
These moments are among the most tender in the film, as we glimpse Juan’s softer side. Introverted but charismatic, he appears to have a tender relationship with his sister, joking with her about their mother’s eccentricities and the weekend shopping trips to American outlet malls she dragged them on during their childhood.
The three enjoy a short period of bliss after Juan’s arrival, but it isn’t long before old demons resurface. Juan has been battling bipolar disorder since his teenage years, we learn, and he is soon locking himself in his room for weeks on end.
But he is not alone in his suffering: Karina’s mother also copes with the illness. We revisit the family’s move to Canada and how that affected the children, particularly Juan, and learn how their mother’s personal struggle affected her offspring.
Following the saga over a 10- year period, Casanova’s film is most remarkable for the sense of powerlessness it conveys, as events slowly spiral out of control.
The director doesn’t hesitate to expose her own vulnerabilities, from stories of being tormented by her brother as a kid to her sorrow and devastation as the drama reaches its peak.
It’s not always easy viewing, but it is deeply affecting, offering a unique and bracingly intimate look at the ravages and collateral damage of mental illness.