Following a brief argument with his parents, John and Hallie Twomey, 20-year-old Christopher John (C.J.) Twomey went outside to his car and fatally shot himself. He was living at home in Maine after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force after his disappointment at not being accepted into the highly selective special forces unit.
In the brief exchange that preceded his suicide, he accused his mother of thinking that he was a failure and told her he would show her what failure is. Understandably his parents and younger brother Connor experienced profound shock, guilt, and grief.
Still grieving three years later, Hallie posted a brief Facebook request asking for people to scatter some of C.J.’s ashes in a place of special meaning. The responses exploded with final statistics showing that nearly 28,000 individuals offered to help.
Filmed in a natural manner with no voice-over comments, the film includes home video clips of C.J. as a youngster and young adult, photographs, and current footage, including many shots of persons scattering C.J.’s ashes in both the U.S. and faraway locales, including Fiji, China, Egypt, and Tanzania. Other segments show how C.J.’s experiences helped others contemplating suicide to seek professional guidance. That C.J.’s final act might have been a “poor snap decision” also demonstrates how rash suicide acts impact family members, friends, and others.
In addition to responding to requests to scatter ashes, many individuals sent the Twomeys countless gifts, artifacts, and mementos, including prayer shawls, coins, artwork, handmade jewelry, and more. In the final scene, we watch John, Hallie, and Connor sky jumping from three planes and scattering C.J.’s ashes. Credits provide an alphabetical list of locations where C.J.’s ashes were released, mental health statistics, and suicide hotline phone numbers.
Much more than just one family’s story of tragedy and grief, this documentary opens doors for discussions about loss, empathy, grief, hope, depression, and of course suicide. Streaming prices are also available. Recommended.