American Cinematographer - June 2017 - 96

Filmmakers' Forum

A Soul's Story
By Betsy A. McLane

God Knows Where I Am is a study of society's failure to care
for the mentally ill, as well as an experimental art film that explores the
independent spirit of Linda Bishop, a middle-aged woman whose
bipolar/schizophrenic disorder and desire for freedom led her to starve
herself to death in an abandoned farmhouse in New Hampshire. To
help craft an original approach to this difficult and complex subject,
veteran and award-winning documentary producers and first-time
directors Todd and Jedd Wider engaged their longtime friend, cinematographer Gerardo Puglia.
The Widers worked on the documentary for four years from
concept to release, and Puglia dedicated two years, on and off, to
shooting in the actual location where Bishop lived her last four
months during a freezing New Hampshire winter, eating only apples
stealthily picked from an old orchard and writing in a journal. In the
documentary, actress Lori Singer gives voice to Bishop's writing, which
contrasts exquisite details about the natural world outside with the
growing delusion that she would be rescued by a man she believed
was her husband.
The resulting documentary received the American Cinematographer Award for Best Cinematography at this year's Salem Film Fest.
Shortly after the festival, the cinematographer and co-directors spoke
with AC about their approach to the complex material.
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June 2017

Todd Wider: My brother and I tend to be drawn to topics
that have a sociopolitical resonance for us. This story about Linda was
written in The New Yorker by Rachel Aviv, a wonderful writer. We
began with a polemic about civil liberties: Where do you draw the line
with the mentally ill? When do you medicate against someone's will?
When do you institutionalize against someone's will? We began to
interview experts on the topic, but as we spent more time with
Linda's diary, we felt we could make a more powerful film if we could
create a more intimate view. We wanted to get more into her head.
Jedd Wider: I had taken several classes at Princeton that were
taught by Gaetana Marrone-Puglia, Gerardo's wife, around the
history of Italy as seen through Italian cinema. They had a tremendous
impact on me. My freshman year I was invited by her to head out to
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for several weeks to assist on a film, Woman
in the Wind, that Gerardo was directing. It was a very rich experience;
I became close with Gerardo, and I knew I would find my way into
filmmaking - and, perhaps more importantly, I made a very distinct
decision that I would make a film with Gerardo in the future. There
was no cinematographer we wanted to work with more [for God
Knows Where I Am]. Stylistically, he was the perfect choice for us.
Gerardo Puglia: I met with Todd and Jedd, and I read The
New Yorker article, and then I also read the original diaries. We have
a lot in common because we love the same filmmakers: Tarkovsky;
Bergman; Antonioni; the Italian neorealists, such as Francesco Rosi.
Since we were working in an empty house, I was most inspired by

American Cinematographer

Photos by Matthew Hamm, courtesy of the filmmakers.

The experimental
documentary
God Knows
Where I Am -
which received
the American
Cinematographer
Award for Best
Cinematography
at this year's
Salem Film Fest
- gives voice to
the journal
writings of the
late Linda
Bishop, who
suffered from
bipolar/
schizophrenic
disorder and
starved to death
in an abandoned
farmhouse
during a brutally
cold New
Hampshire
winter.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - June 2017