“Millie is an object lesson in resilience and gratitude. Out of the Shadow is a valentine to her, and a heartening one.”
– The New York Times
Now available on Vimeo!
"A remarkably insightful film.
A 'must see' for anyone wanting
to
better understand
serious mental illness."
One family’s journey
Out of the Shadow is a very personal documentary which chronicles the filmmaker Susan Smiley’s mother, Millie, and her family through Millie’s battle with schizophrenia and her subsequent trials within the public health system.
Millie was just 25 with two small children when she exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia. As mental chaos overwhelmed their mother, Susan and her sister Tina struggled to cope. For years, the family’s ignorance about mental illness and shame kept Millie’s bizarre behaviors shrouded in secrecy. When her daughters left home, Millie’s life unraveled completely.
After 20 years of transience and a patchwork of inadequate care, Millie’s daughters were finally able to help her build a life worth living. This is a story about the impact of serious mental illness and reclaiming one’s dignity. Out of the Shadow illuminates a national plight through one family’s struggle and helps dispel the stigmas and misconceptions surrounding this most confusing of psychiatric illnesses. The film aired on public television stations in the U.S. for 8 years beginning in 2006 and was translated into nine languages. NAMI and MHA groups hosted hundreds of in-person screenings nationwide.
One family’s journey
Out of the Shadow is a very personal documentary which chronicles the filmmaker Susan Smiley’s mother, Millie, and her family through Millie’s battle with schizophrenia and her subsequent trials within the public health system.
Millie was just 25 with two small children when she exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia. As mental chaos overwhelmed their mother, Susan and her sister Tina struggled to cope. For years, the family’s ignorance about mental illness and shame kept Millie’s bizarre behaviors shrouded in secrecy. When her daughters left home, Millie’s life unraveled completely.
After 20 years of transience and a patchwork of inadequate care, Millie’s daughters were finally able to help her build a life worth living. This is a story about the impact of serious mental illness and reclaiming one’s dignity. Out of the Shadow illuminates a national plight through one family’s struggle and helps dispel the stigmas and misconceptions surrounding this most confusing of psychiatric illnesses. The film aired on public television stations in the U.S. for 8 years beginning in 2006 and was translated into nine languages. NAMI and MHA groups hosted hundreds of in-person screenings nationwide.
The film’s enduring impact
Out of the Shadow became the most widely used educational film about schizophrenia ever made. It continues to be shown in hundreds of colleges and universities in Schools of Nursing, Social Work and Public Health, amongst others. It profoundly changes how people view those who suffer from serious mental illnesses and their loved ones. Out of the Shadow aired on public television stations in the U.S. for 8 years beginning in 2006 and was translated into nine languages. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and MHA (Mental Health America) groups hosted hundreds of in-person screenings nationwide.
Praise for Out of the Shadow
Out of the Shadow is an honest and rare glimpse into the human experience of mental illness and the challenges families face when trying to care for their loved ones. Not only is it brilliantly made, but it is also an extremely effective tool for educating viewers about mental illness.
Out of the Shadow movingly captures a side of schizophrenia that few of us ever see, revealing the humility behind the disease without sentimentalizing it, and documenting the day-to-day injustices, tragedies and just plain frustrations experienced both by a woman who has schizophrenia and by those who love her.”
I would like to express the gratitude of the entire department for your work. I have worked with people who have severe psychiatric illnesses and their families for my entire career. I was moved to tears several times by the film: an honest, personal look at the tragedy of the illness of schizophrenia and our failure as a society to enact our ideals and utilize the knowledge we already possess. Every employee of this department will see this film. I can think of no better way to introduce them to the meaning and importance of their work
I showed your documentary to our mental health agency, and people loved it. It’s emotionally powerful and well balanced on many perspectives. It’s a realistic view of the pitfalls of the “system,” the lengths families must go to, the ravages of illness and the prospects of recovery. Thank you for sharing this. Thank you even more for making it.
This is a remarkable film about schizophrenia, portraying one woman and her family’s experience with the illness. It is emotionally powerful, showing that recovery is possible, while at the same time exposing flaws in our mental healthcare system. Susan Smiley has produced a memorable, masterful work.”
This is the best film on schizophrenia that I have ever seen. The power of the film to show the experience, the struggle, and the points of view of the person with a severe psychiatric disorder and of the family members is unsurpassed.”
SELECTED LIST OF SCREENINGS & PRESENTATIONS WINNER:
NAMI Media Award, 2006
Advocacy Conferences and Meetings
- NAMI National Convention
- EUFAMI Congress, Torun, Poland, September 2007
- (European Federation of Associations of Families of Mentally Ill People)
Professional Conferences – National and International
- American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meetings
- National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (NCCBH)
- ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) Association
Post Graduate Academic Settings
- Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology
- Tulane University School of Medicine – Grand Rounds
- UT Southwestern School of Medicine – Grand Rounds
- SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY