Elemental Productions

Since childhood, Ketut Sudirta has lived with severe mental illness. His tumultuous adulthood is shaped by episodes of instability and violence: he wanders the streets, violently attacks his half-sister, is incarcerated and hospitalized, and questions his own existence. Ketut is also a fond friend and family member who tries to live a fruitful life, and participates in an ambitious healing process to address and redress the wrongs of which he seems a part.

A Balinese family compound grapples with severe mental illness, violence, and suicide.

This longitudinal ethnographic film is shot and narrated by Ketut’s childhood friend and explores the grief, concern, and culturally-informed meaning-making surrounding a deeply troubled life.

Malcolm Cross
Music Composer

Malcolm Cross studied music performance and composition in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He also completed additional postgraduate studies in Jazz and Studio Music. Malcolm’s past work includes original film scores for “Insomniac Obsessions,” “Oh Saigon,” “I Dream of Dog,” and “The Grey”.

Richard Henderson
Music Editor

Richard Henderson attended S.U.N.Y. Buffalo in the late 70’s and studied film history. Richard’s vibrant career path led him to work as a music editor and music supervisor on such acclaimed films like “Borat,” “The Life Aquatic,” and “Into the Wild,” which won him the Golden Reel Award.

Robert Lemelson
Director

Robert Lemelson is a cultural anthropologist, ethnographic filmmaker and philanthropist. Lemelson received his M.A. from the University of Chicago and Ph.D. from the Department of Anthropology at the University of California Los Angeles. Lemelson’s area of specialty is transcultural psychiatry; Southeast Asian Studies, particularly Indonesia; and psychological and medical anthropology. He currently is a research anthropologist in the Semel Institute of Neuroscience UCLA, and an adjunct professor of Anthropology at UCLA.

Indra Kusuma
CO-PRODUCER AND NARRATOR

Indra Kusuma is a field producer, cinematographer, and artist from Bali.

Chisako Yokoyama
editor

Chisako Yokoyama has worked as an editor and assistant editor on studio motion pictures, independent features and narrative and documentary films. Her credits as editor include the English and Japanese language films “Saki,” “Takamine” and “Goemon” and as first assistant editor, “American Gangster”, “Memoirs of a Geisha”, “Black Hawk Down”, “Gladiator”, and “Good Will Hunting.” She’s worked on ethnographic documentaries “Standing on the Edge of a Thorn”, “Bitter Honey”, and more for Elemental Productions.

annie tucker
CO-PRODUCER

Annie Tucker is a translator, writer, and educator specializing in contemporary Indonesian culture, literature, arts, and health. She received her PhD from UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures. She is an adjunct lecturer for UCLA’s Disability Studies minor and a writer for Elemental Productions.

Ninik Supartini
Field Supervisor

Ninik Supartini assisted Dr. Lemelson in two research projects about community mental health in Java and Bali. Since 2006, Supartini has served as a mental health and psychosocial consultant for international humanitarian organizations working in post-disaster and conflict areas in Indonesia and Myanmar.