Suspended and the art of forgiveness Andrew Wall, writer director Refuge 31 Films This documentary about the father of a murdered teenager is punctuated with a surprising amount of laughter. To call it light-hearted would suggest a flippancy does not seem possible for someone who has gone through such pain. Yet, the spontaneous laughter of this man who has endured so much is not harsh and cynical but gentle and free. And that is the true purpose of forgiveness. It’s not about the other person; it’s about freeing yourself from bondage to the other person’s actions. It’s ironic the film is called “suspended,” for that suggests a kind of captivity that is absent from this story. Cliff and Wilma Derksen are local celebrities. In 1984, their 13-year-old daughter Candace didn’t come home from school one winter’s evening. The whole sleepy, provincial city stirred with fear and speculation. When Canadace’s body was found 7 weeks later, the Derksens, steeped in Mennonite ...
a smattering of brain droppings from a self-styled writer