The Film
On August 9th, 2006, Leonard Watson dropped his 8-year-old son off at summer camp. That was the last time anyone saw him. No bags packed, no calls, no movement in the bank account, and no note. Leonard had disappeared from everyone in his life, leaving his wife and 3 young kids behind. He was considered a missing person until he was found dead 30 days later of an apparent suicide. Now, 14 years after his passing, 22 year-old filmmaker Kurtis Watson discovers a trove of home videos – hundreds of hours recorded by his father over fifteen years leading up to his death. Kurtis was only 8 years old at the time of his father’s death, and seeing him in the tapes surfaces his unprocessed grief which he realizes may be contributing to his own struggles with mental health and sexual identity. He embarks on a cathartic journey to honour his dad’s memory and investigate how and why he dad ended his own life. He interviews his family and anyone connected to the event which leads to impactful revelatory moments, revealing the ever-present stigma of mental illness. Bravely navigating through his family’s painful past searching for closure, Kurtis gains a better understanding of himself, and that some of our most burning questions may forever be unanswered.
On August 9th, 2006, Leonard Watson dropped his 8-year-old son off at summer camp. That was the last time anyone saw him. No bags packed, no calls, no movement in the bank account, and no note. Leonard had disappeared from everyone in his life, leaving his wife and 3 young kids behind. He was considered a missing person until he was found dead 30 days later of an apparent suicide. Now, 14 years after his passing, 22 year-old filmmaker Kurtis Watson discovers a trove of home videos – hundreds of hours recorded by his father over fifteen years leading up to his death. Kurtis was only 8 years old at the time of his father’s death, and seeing him in the tapes surfaces his unprocessed grief which he realizes may be contributing to his own struggles with mental health and sexual identity. He embarks on a cathartic journey to honour his dad’s memory and investigate how and why he dad ended his own life. He interviews his family and anyone connected to the event which leads to impactful revelatory moments, revealing the ever-present stigma of mental illness. Bravely navigating through his family’s painful past searching for closure, Kurtis gains a better understanding of himself, and that some of our most burning questions may forever be unanswered.