That Way Madness Lies

VANCOUVER PREMIERE! Filmmaker Sandra Luckow’s brother Duanne was well into his forties before he started obsessively following conspiracy theories, fell victim to extortionate internet scams, and stormed the U.S.-Canada border intending to marry a woman he’d never met. Involuntarily committed for six months to the Oregon State Hospital (setting for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), he is discharged with a hefty bill and a diagnosis of late-onset paranoid schizophrenia — a designation he rejects. As Duanne spirals downward through a seemingly endless cycle of incarceration, hospitalization, and homelessness, his sister struggles to help him. Increasingly frustrated, she comes to believe that the system meant to protect him is the very thing that stands in the way of his recovery. “An unblinking assessment of the failures of the health, judicial, and penal systems to effectively address what is a growing national problem … A powerful true-life tale” (Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter).

Post-screening discussion with Sandra Luckow and Dr. Randall F. White.

Based in New York City, Sandra Luckow teaches film production at Columbia University, Barnard College, and Yale School of Art. Her previous documentaries include Sharp Edges, about Tonya Harding; Belly Talkers, which premiered at Sundance; and A World Within: A Miniature Portrait.

Dr. Randall F. White is a clinical professor of psychiatry at UBC; Medical Director of the B.C. Psychosis Program at UBC Hospital; and Medical Director, Vancouver Community Mental Health Services.

Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia.