Wednesday, September 15, 2010 7:30 pm
Canada 2009. Director: John Kastner
VANCOUVER PREMIERE! In
1998, in Chatham, Ontario, 18-year-old Jennifer Jenkins was found shot to death
in the basement of the home she shared with her parents and older brother Mason.
As her devastated parents struggled with their grief, suspicion for the crime
fell upon the most likely suspect: Mason. He was soon arrested, charged and
ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder. Because Mason adamantly
maintained his innocence, his parents were faced with an excruciating dilemma:
whether to stand by their son or break with him completely, thereby destroying
what’s left of their family. In reconstructing the details of the case and the
years that have since transpired, director John Kastner, a three-time Emmy
winner, obtained remarkable access to original 911 recordings, crime scene
photos, gripping police interrogation videotape, home videos, and poignant
interviews with Jenkins family members. As the narrative builds to its
heartbreaking and revelatory conclusion, Life With Murder deftly
explores the subject of criminals’ relationships with their loved ones and the
extraordinary choices parents face when one of their children is accused and
convicted of murdering another. Says Kastner: “Works of fiction from The
Godfather to Crime and Punishment have dealt with this subject for
many years. So do I, but my stories are real.” Colour, Digibeta video. 95
mins.
Post-screening discussion with Dr. Roy O’Shaughnessy, a trained forensic psychiatrist who has practiced for 25 years in B.C. Dr. O’Shaughnessy is a Clinical Professor and Head, Division of Forensic Psychiatry, in the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia. He is Past President, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law; Past President, B.C. Psychiatric Association; and Past President, B.C. Medical Legal Society.
Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia.
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