A Private Battle, A Family’s Journey

Written by Nikki Erlick

“If I were you, I’d keep the footage – it’s really good,” Renee LeBlanc told her son Jonathan Caouette. It turned out to be wise advice. Almost a decade after releasing his stunning documentary Tarnation on his family and unusual upbringing, director Jonathan Caouette was “completely elated” to present the North American premiere of his newest film Walk Away Renée at this year’s BAMcinemaFest. In his introduction to the screening, Caouette thanked his family and friends, along with DOC NYC’s Thom Powers.

Walk Away Renée traces Caouette’s turbulent relationship with his mentally ill mother. His cinematic style combines recent documentary footage, vivid CGI sequences, and home videos spanning generations, set to the tune of hauntingly sweet melodies. “In spite of all the strangeness” there is an abundance of love and protective instinct within Caouette’s complicated family life. The film elicits a range of emotions from frustration and sorrow to laughter and hope. A particularly poig nant moment occurs when Renée pleads with her son on the phone to stop the bomba rdment of medical treatments, asking, “What am I?” and why decent people should have to suffer. Walk Away Renée is not only a depiction of one family’s journey, but also a call for increased empathy for the mentally ill and a testament to the dignity of every human person.

Miss it at BAM? Watch it as part of SundanceNow’s Doc Club.

(Pictured: Jonathan Caouette and his mother Renee, photo courtesy of BAM)