Life As a Dad

By Daniel Ostrander

Okazaki resident Craig Morrey provides around the clock care for his three-year-old son Spencer who, due to complications at birth, suffers from cerebral palsy. As if repeatedly clearing Spencer's airway due to his inability to swallow wasn't a hard enough burden to carry, Mr. Morrey is also currently fighting for the custody of his other child, daughter Amelia. Spencer's mother abandoned him and his father while she was still pregnant with Amelia, and, after breaking several abandonment and abduction laws, has only allowed Craig to see his daughter six times since she was born in 2008. The tragedy is only compounded by both the lack of medical assistance for Spencer and any form of legal help from the Japanese court system, an all too familiar story these days.

Still, through all of that, director Anthony Gilmore claims that his short documentary about Craig and Spencer - entitled Life As Dad - is a story of hope and the love of a father. I sat down with him again so he could explain.

Anthony Gilmore: You could make multiple stories about Craig Morrey and his son; one about his wife abandoning them, or divorce laws in Japan, a whole film about parental abduction and international custody laws, something about cerebral palsy. You could also make one about Craig and his strength as a father, and that's what I wanted to do.

Craig says something in the film that always sticks in my mind: "Parents often think that they want their children to make them proud. They've got that backwards. Parents should be making their children proud." That encourages me as a father, which is why I called it Life As Dad.

Daniel Ostrander: How long after hearing this powerful story did you decide to make this film?

AG: I first met Craig at an ACCJ meeting in Nagoya. He showed up with Spencer and he had all of this medical equipment. Obviously it was shocking, but I thought that he was very brave. As a documentarian, you're always thinking, "What's their story?" And you naturally want to know. We started talking, and he told me to check out a piece about them on CNN, which was the first thing I did when I got on the train. I called the next day and talked to him about making the film.

DO: How does this piece compare to your past work?

AG: It's a story that hits closer to home than any film before. It was very difficult to see Spencer in this situation because I have a son pretty much the same age. This story is very inspiring, but, at the same time, it's very emotionally draining. On a personal level, this is the most challenging film I've ever done.

DO: What are your plans for distribution?

AG: My goal is to premiere it at some of the bigger festivals, possibly even Sundance. Locally, I plan on having some private screenings and submitting it to NHK and other stations for broadcast after the festival circuit.

DO: This is an ongoing story, with, sadly, no resolution in sight. Do you see yourself returning to it at some point in the future?

AG: As an update, possibly. Our idea was to make a great film and build a forum that lets people share their stories and get involved.

DO: What do you want the audience to take away from this film?

AG: I hope that, through the film, more people become aware of the Morreys' story and the others like them in Japan. I want people to become more active and to realize that things can be done.

DO: Where else can we find more info on Craig's struggle?

AG: There's his site: foreveryourfather.com. He's also got a Facebook fan page that he updates pretty often.

DO: And if we want to help?

AG: Right now, the best way to help is to spread his story, and, if you can afford it, donate some money to them and to cerebral palsy research.

If you want to help, go to www.foreveryourfather.com - you can also watch the preview trailer of the documentary at www.lifeasdadfilm.com

To download a PDF of this story as it appears in the magazine, click here

Latest Forum Threads