As many of you know, I occasionally like to revisit a film that I have reviewed. Sometimes this is because of new information about it or its maker, which is the case in regard to Cristobal (Cris) Krusen’s film about the institutionalization of his son Daniel, Let Me Have My Son. Ever since he was 18, Daniel Krusen has been in mental hospitals, except for a brief time when his father was able to gain custody and the family lived in Mexico. However, Ben (as Daniel is called in the film) suffered a relapse, which required that he again be admitted to psychiatric care, this time in Minnesota. The film chronicles this and Cris Krusen’s refusal to give up on him, despite the doctors’ assurance that the young man would never get well. (In the film the father is given the name of Benjamín, Sr. and the director himself plays the man. If you have not read my review of Let Me Have My Son, I recommend that you click onto the title before reading any further so that what follows will be better appreciated.)
Mr. Krusen, head and founder of Messenger Films, puts out a monthly newsletter in which he shares news about his films, usually with a meditation on a related Bible passage. In the August edition he relates the story of Jacob wrestling with an angel and then years later being reunited with his son Joseph whom he had been told was dead. Mr. Krusen finds this ancient story similar to his own because, he reports, in April as he was finishing his movie, he received word that his son had been granted a provisional discharge from the hospital. Just as Jacob’s faith remained strong through long years of struggle, so his own, which inspired him to make his film, was being rewarded. Daniel in a few weeks will be moving into a group home that is much closer to Cris’s.
This is good news indeed! To Quote from Mr. Krusen’s heart-felt message:
“Let me have my son! I have cried these many years. Damaged, diminished, it doesn’t matter. He is my child. Sometimes, people commend me for my perseverance. I don’t know. It does sometimes feel as though I have wrestled with an angel and managed to hold on longer than expected. And now, dawn breaks. The angel “touches” me on the thigh, dislocating my hip, and for the rest of my days, I walk with a limp. But that is okay. Daniel and I can limp together.”
A second piece of good news is that the DVD version can now be ordered from Amazon, making the film available to a wider audience. This is truly an inspiration film, especially for those who have a loved one who is mentally ill!
