Dinesh Das Sabu’s parents died, when he was six-years-old. Raised by his elder siblings, he had little idea about his parents or where he came from. Through Unbroken Glass, he attempts to piece together their story that is his own. Uncovering a silenced family history and disturbing truths, Dinesh and his siblings finally reconcile the past, confronting the trauma of losing their parents and the specter of mental illness.
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This documentary was among the films that was slated for screening on May 1 at the Los Angeles Asian American Film Festival. Among other places it will be screened on May 2, at the University of Phoenix as part of Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian American Heritage Month; on May 6, at the Hindu American Seva Communities in University of Maryland, in Shady Grove, MD, on May 9, as part of the Reel Mind Theater & Film Series at Rochester, N.Y. on May 10, at the Skokie \library in Oakton, Illinois, on June 11, at ASHA International’s event in Hillsboro, Oregon and in Oct. 24, in the Death Talk Goes to the Movies Film Series, in Portland, Oregon.
Unbroken Glass is one of the 8 documentaries made by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, which will debut on May 16 with its television premier, on World Channel, as part of the program “America ReFramed.” The program is a partnership between World Channel, Center for Asian American Media, Pacific Islanders in Communication and KQED San Francisco.
The 55-minute film documents Sabu’s journey to understand his long-dead parents and involves his travels to Illinois, California, New Mexico and India, tracing their life journey. Saba pieces together the story of his mother’s schizophrenia and suicide and how his family dealt with it in an age and culture where mental illness was often misunderstood, scorned and taboo.
The documentary weaves together Sabu’s journey of discovery with cinema-verite scenes of his five siblings dealing with raw emotions and consequences of their parents’ lives and deaths.
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Dwarka and Susheela Sabu lived a complicated life bridging two countries and cultures and is a nuanced story of one family’s struggle as well as an impressionistic portrait of who Dinesh’s parents were as complex people are subject to social forces. Sabu has said he hopes that telling this story will raise the awareness and reduce the stigma of mental illness.
According to the World Health Organization, addressing mental health is a global priority. 1 in 4 people in the world deal with a mental health issue; 20% of the world’s children and adolescents have mental disorders or problems.
By Premji
