Holly Chadwick has never been in a battle, but throughout her youth she was frequently exposed to its terrors and triumphs.
Her maternal grandfather had the monstrous memories of World War II carefully concealed, locked away and suppressed in the corners of his mind. Though he lived a pleasant and healthy life as a veteran, his memories never faded, and they constantly threatened to break free from their cages.
“I visited Monte Cassino when I was 19, not knowing my grandfather had been in his final battle there,” Chadwick said. “After returning home from Italy, I brought many before and after photos … there was one postcard my grandfather was particularly fascinated with … For an instant I could see in his eyes that he was back on that battlefield. But I could almost see him mentally push those thoughts aside and all he said was that’s where he got his shrapnel wound.”
Her father was taunted by his experiences in Vietnam. Chadwick thinks he may have suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder but never came to know the whole story. Her father was severely burned in an apartment fire. He was forced to wear a mask because of his injuries, and she wasn’t allowed to see him. He died from a heart attack when she was in second-grade.
“My father’s father handled things much differently,” Chadwick said. “It was a life my father wanted to live up to, but could not live up to.”
Chadwick’s paternal grandfather used his training as a WWII pilot to jump start his post-military life. He began a successful aviation charter company.
Chadwick grew up on Whidbey and graduated from Oak Harbor High School in 1997. She received a bachelor’s degree in film and digital media from the University of California at Santa Cruz and is now working toward a master’s degree at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. To fulfill a visual requirement for her degree, Chadwick will be directing and filming a movie she wrote called “Seeking Solace” on the island this summer.
“‘Seeking Solace’ is about Julia, a former MP who fought in Iraq and recently came back to Whidbey Island to her civilian job at the local newspaper darkroom/photo lab,” Chadwick wrote in a release. “Her episodes of post-traumatic stress disorder intersect with the legend of the haunted darkroom and a missing persons case the newspaper is covering.”
Chadwick said she hopes the movie will provide a greater understanding of the internal struggles military people face upon their homecomings and encourage community building.
Chadwick planned to write her film drawing from local legends. She did research on Native American war homecomings and noticed that many tribes had traditions that allowed soldiers to transition peacefully from war time to peace time. She began comparing those with the traditions of mainstream society, which has none.
“I thought this was good fodder for story material, so I transitioned my way of thinking about the project from general legends of Whidbey Island to the more specific story of what it’s like to return home,” Chadwick said.
Next week, Chadwick is holding auditions for the film.
The filming will take place for about three weeks in August with the help of a crew from California. Though Chadwick cannot pay her actors, she will provide meals and snacks during filming. The auditions will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 3, at the Lotus Tea Bar and Studio in Oak Harbor (710 SE Fidalgo Ave. #102).
Chadwick is also soliciting movie sponsorships from organizations and individuals. She’s asking for both monetary and food donations. Any film proceeds will be donated to the Veteran’s Resource Center on Whidbey.
Chadwick said the film should be complete by early 2012 and she hopes to have an on-island screening and to enter it in film festivals.
For information on donating or to see an audition character list, visit seekingsolace.net.
“Since service men and women are fighting on our behalf, the mental health of our soldiers should be everyone’s responsibility,” Chadwick said. “As a civilian, doing this movie is how I support our troops.”
