LEWISTON — Seth Roberts says he doesn’t want to receive another phone call telling him of former fellow soldiers who have committed suicide.
“Over the past two years, I’ve had four soldiers that I worked closely with take their lives as a result of their PTSD,” the filmmaker from Turner said. “It was really starting to wear on me to the point where I didn’t know if I was going to make it.”
A veteran of Iraq who came home in 2010, Roberts talked about his struggles dealing with veteran suicides with fellow filmmaker Bill McLean while they were working together at McLean’s home on post-production for their upcoming film “Bad Kid.”
McLean’s wife, Tiffany, who heard the conversation, knew exactly what Roberts needed to do.
“She suggested, ‘Why don’t you write it down? Why don’t you share the story? Why don’t you share what you’re going through? You never know — you might make a difference,'” Roberts said.
“So I did,” he said. “I wrote it down. It was hard for me to write it down. It was at times traumatic to relive certain emotions.”
It took six months and five revisions, but Roberts has a finished script for his next movie — “Those We Leave Behind.”
It is a story about a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who commits suicide, and how his wife and daughter cope with his death.
A casting call for the “Those We Leave Behind” is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at the Eureka Community Center at 606 Hallowell Road in Durham.
Roberts will direct the film, while McLean will oversee auditions at Saturday’s casting call. Alan Dillingham of Killatainment Films is the producer. The three main principals are hoping to employ an all-Maine cast.
The film features 23 characters with speaking roles and two additional voiceover roles. Roberts expects filming to begin in June or July 2016.
Roberts and McLean have worked together on several films. In addition to “Bad Kid,” which was filmed locally and is still in post-production, the duo collaborated on the comedy, “How to Kill a Zombie,” which was filmed throughout Maine, including Lewiston, Sabattus, Wales and Litchfield. That film was released Oct. 6 and enjoyed a worldwide distribution in 180 countries, McLean said.
They already have a distribution company lined up for both “Bad Kid” and “Those We Leave Behind.”
McLean recalls how serious Roberts was when he spoke of his struggles with veteran suicides. He was going to wait a couple of days to mull over Roberts’ concerns, but McLean said his wife, Tiffany, “felt so strongly about it” that she urged Roberts to start writing.
“One thing I know about Scott is that when he gets one thing in his head that he feels needs to be done, there’s no stopping him,” McLean said.
The filmmakers’ major goal with the heavy theme is to help veterans who are considering suicide and help families who have been touched by it.
“To save a life,” Roberts said. “To tell soldiers that it is not necessary. To tell a family who suffered a tragedy you can go on. You can make it.”
They also hope the film can educate nonmilitary people on the issues confronting returning veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“When you hear someone just committed suicide,” McLean said, “you’re like, What? He’s got a wife. He’s got kids. He’s got . . .”
“Potential,” Roberts said, completing the thought. “Every one of these soldiers that killed themselves had potential. They were good men — and we have a shortage of good men.”
While the theme of veteran suicide is dark and heavy, Roberts made sure to end it with a notion of hope.
“By the end of the film, they’re not cured, they’re not really happy — but they start the process of healing,” Roberts said.
Potential actors need to bring a 4- by 6-inch or 8- by 10-inch head shot to the casting call.
More information, advice and side scripts used for the auditions can be found on the film’s Facebook page.
ssherlock@sunjournal.com
Casting call for “Those We Leave Behind”
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28
Eureka Community Center, 606 Hallowell Road, Durham
FMI: “Those We Leave Behind” casting group Facebook page
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