On Feb. 18, the local area was moved by emotions to see the cost of silence around mental illness in Asian American communities, through the documentary “Silent War: Asian American Reckonings with Mental Health”.
Directed by Millersville University professor Dr. Changfu Chang, the documentary follows the stories of three different families, all being impacted in different ways because of mental health.
The documentary viewing happened at The Ware Center for the Arts as a part of their On Screen/In Person Film Series, allowing the community to learn and hear from the artists behind the work. This was the Pennsylvania premiere for this film, as it has been seen in other states for film festivals. With the pre-show panel and post-show panel, the audience not only got to ask director Dr. Chang questions, but also other crew and community mental health experts.
Those that sat amongst the pre-show panel were Margaret Thorwart, Millersville’s director of Center for Health Education & Promotion, Meagan Howell-Brogan, head of counseling services at Franklin & Marshall College, Irma Do, coordinator of the Faith Community Partnership at Mental Health Lancaster, and Sandy Chen, one of the featured storytellers in “Silent War”, who shared her mental health battles personally.
Most of the speakers in the pre-show panel brought to light how impactful and meaningful the messaging is within “Silent War”. As a panel of advocates for mental health, many of the speeches surrounded important concepts when it comes to the film and how, as a community, we should reflect on the messaging presented to us.
“Healing past trauma is one way to build a bridge across the silence between generations. Reducing stigma and educating communities about mental health and its treatment is another,” Howell-Brogan said. “I think this film really serves that end, building bridges, retelling powerful stories of healing and connection, and illustrating what’s possible when people are brave enough to break silence and share their vulnerability with others.”
Before the screening and after the pre-show panel, audience members got to hear the original music piece “The Silent War”, a song composed by Brahm Bean and Lizzy Allen that was featured in the film. The duo performed the song live acoustically.
The film truly encompassed many issues faced by Asian Americans, such as “cultural stigma, intergenerational trauma, racism, and systemic neglect,” according to The Ware Center. Each family shared from beginning to end on how certain events shaped their lives in relation to mental illness. The film detailed who people were before mental illness had truly started to impact not just a person, but their entire family after. One of the stories followed Sandy Chen, notably featured in most of the film’s press images.
“If you had asked me 10 years ago where I thought I would be today, I wouldn’t have had an answer because I couldn’t envision a future for myself,” Chen said in the pre-show panel. “It took a long time for me to realize that I was worth helping, and that it was okay to ask for help, but it was up to me whether or not I wanted to heal.”
Chen hopes her story can impact others to believe they are worth fighting for. She shares her story through “Silent War” in hopes that anyone who resonates with how she felt feels seen and heard.
“You deserve love and you’re worthy of a life and future that makes you happy,” Chen said. “The sun will rise and there’ll be so many days and moments that you’re glad you stayed.”
The post-show panel featured a major portion of the production crew on “Silent War”. On stage, there was director Dr. Chang, assistant director A.C. Brooke, director of music Barry Atticks, and film editor Jordan Graff. Together, each touched upon the major components of their work to bring the film to fruition. One important discussion throughout was how Chang went about covering these personal stories within the Asian American community.
“These people who have been suffering, and a lot of times, they put this difficult experience somewhere, as a metaphor, in the closet or on the shelf. Don’t touch it. Try to move on,” Chang said. “In this case, they not only let us film in their house. They held my hand, walked into that closet to open that closet, to revisit that traumatic experience. In the process, to take the risk of retraumatizing themselves. Through communications, through trust building, I saw the beauty in that and they really want to help the community. They feel that they did not own their story, their story had more meaning. Their story could transform the community.”
Audience members got to ask the panel on topics surrounding the treatment of Asian American communities and current issues within the country today.
“We need to platform these issues more, listen to these communities more, and help uplift them and empower them, and make sure we’re allocating enough resources and we’re having the connections that we need to feel belonging,” Brooke said.
“Living with mental illness is its own battle, but the stigma that surrounds it is something else entirely. However, it is something that can be broken down, something that can be talked through, only if we are open and willing to fight against it,” Chen said in the pre-show panel. “We, as a society, cannot waste any more time pretending that mental health does not exist. Or that having a mental illness is something to be ashamed of. Too many people’s suffering ends when all they really want is someone who will listen.”
