Canvas

CanvasAcademy Award winner Harden plays Mary Marino, a mother, who becomes ill with schizophrenia. Emmy Award winner Pantoliano is her husband John Marino, delivering a powerful, sensitive performance that is a dramatic contrast to the tough, wise guy roles he has played in The Sopranos and many movies, such as Memento and The Matrix.

Gearhart plays 12-year old Chris Marino, whose coming of age comes early, as his family navigates its difficult passage. Sailing and lighthouses are significant in the movie, which is inspired by a true story.

“CANVAS is marked by intense, tragic emotions, touches of humor and an enduring spirit of hope,” said NAMI executive director Michael Fitzpatrick.

“It is one of the few films that is authentic in its portrayal of schizophrenia. It has the potential to touch the general public even more than the movie A BEAUTIFUL MIND, which was itself a breakthrough, because it focuses on the experience of an average family, rather than that of a Nobel Prize winning mathematician.”

“It is a film that ordinary people can identify with.”

Source: NAMI Press Release