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Image Courtesy of Eric Norwine
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Culturally, America is in a very weird place when it comes to mental health. Despite the fact that antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals for people between the ages of 18 and 44, there is still a deep stigma connected to mental illness. The recent release of secret tapes from Rep. Senator Mitch McConnell's re-election war room are a stark reminder of that: aides plotted to undermine possible opponent Ashley Judd by focusing on the fact she had spent time in psychiatric care. Which means public perception has not changed much in the 40 years since Thomas Eagleton's rising political career was completely destroyed by the reveleation he had been treated for depression.
Two young filmmakers, Eric Norwine and Josh Salzberg, plan to tackle this huge issue by focusing on one man's story—that of Eric's father, Mark Norwine, who suffered for years because his bipolar disorder was misdiagnosed as depression. On April 26, Mark will start a 15-day, 194-mile walk across the state of Missouri via the Katy Trail. He won't just be walking, but talking and telling stories, and Eric and Josh will film him along the way, gathering the first footage for a documentary they are calling Walking Man. The film will, in Eric's words, "follow my dad’s walk, tracking the parallels between his struggle with bipolar disorder and the current mental health conversation in America."
Eric and Josh—who are producer and director respectively—have already cut their teeth in the world of film. Eric works for Will Ferrell's comedy website Funny or Die, and Josh's resume includes co-credits on a sports doc for HBO, Blood Equity, as well as post-production work for Judd Apatow. This is a true DIY affair, though; the pair is funding the film thrugh Kickstarter. So far, they have raised $20,000 to film the first portion of the documentary (they will still need to raise another $60,000 to complete it). They've been working hard for that money, too: just check out their very active Facebook page, where they have filmed their DIY drawings for Kickstarter contributors (one contributor won a jar of jam; another won a song written just for him, which bragged about how he wrestled bears and took a helicopter to work).
For the next two weeks, however, they will be focused less on raising money and more on spending it, as they start shooting Mark's journey, which kicks off on Thursday with a public talk in Kansas City. Then they'll be keeping up this ambitious travel schedule:
April 25: Sedalia and Smithton April 26: Clifton City April 27: Pilot Grove April 28: Boonville, New Franklin April 29: Rocheport, Columbia April 30: Providence May 1: Hartsburg May 2: Jefferson City May 3: Tebbetts May 4: Steedman May 5: Bluffton May 6: McKittrick, Herman May 7: Bernheimer May 8: Marthasville, Washington, Dutzow, Defiance May 9: Augusta May 10: Weldon Spring May 11: Creve Coeur
The two large-scale events planned during the walk are a speaking engagement at a rally in Jefferson City on May 2, and a candlelight vigil on May 11 in Creve Coeur Park for those who have lost someone to mental illness. Eric says that more than 1200 people are expected at that event. However, residents of all the other towns on the list are encouraged to come out, talk to Mark Norwine, and learn more about the film. For now, you can learn more about it by watching the trailer below.
