Family is a curious concept. The definition of what family is varies greatly between people and is often a personal affair, not shared with many.
Filmmaker Michael J. Duhamel moved to Barrie with his wife in 2017 to be closer to her parents and to start their own family. They even purchased her childhood home in 2020 and now live here with their two children.
But for 37 years, Micheal didn’t know his own father.
He recently chronicled his journey finding and meeting a side of his family that he never knew in his short film, Homecoming.
I had the opportunity to ask Michael a few questions about Homecoming and his experience meeting a family he never knew.
RV: Was there an exact moment or situation that spurred you to start searching for your father?
MD: As I got into my late 20s and early 30s, I started thinking more and more about settling down and starting a family. It was difficult to not have any parents outside the great bond I had with my grandparents. Not having any knowledge of my father started to eat away at me and sparked me to write a letter back in 2013.
My uncle mentioned he was friends with a private investigator and said he'd get him to take a look for me. I got two possible addresses and sent my letter to them. I heard back from one right away and never from the second.
I started to wonder if I did find him and he chose not to respond.
RV: Why did you decide to share your journey with the public?
MD: Everyone has a story to tell and as different as we all are, we also share a lot in common. Family dynamics, search for identity, learning about our roots and facing difficult situations. Those themes presented themselves when I was shaping the story of
Homecoming and I felt an audience could connect with at least one of those, if not a few.
I also hoped this film could help someone out in the world. Maybe someone has always wanted to do an ancestry search or find a long lost relative. May be there is a chapter in your past you were scared to revisit. I wanted this film to give some hope.
RV: How did it feel discovering all these new roots and lineage?
MD: It felt very overwhelming to discover all these roots and lineage. At the cemetery outside the church, I found all that quite difficult as there was so many family members, including my grandfather. Every name I read felt like a loss and a story I needed to learn.
Finding my grandparents' (MacLean) homestead through the forest was another emotional moment, especially seeing the condition the home was in.
Seeing grave after grave and homes barely standing and abandoned felt more sad than anything. I just kept feeling like I was too late and that even though I was here now it wasn't enough.
RV: Did you discover or uncover anything about your family that didn’t make it into the film?
MD: Going through ancestry records and the family tree built by my stepmother, Jan, I learned that I am cousins with NHL's Mike McPhee who won the Stanley Cup for the Montreal Canadiens in 1985-86 and is a hometown hero in River Bourgeois (Nova Scotia). I tried to find ways to incorporate that into the film, but in the end it felt a little out of place so it got scrapped.
RV: Has Nana shared any pearls of wisdom with you that you would like to share?
MD: Not necessarily any words of wisdom exactly, but more so her stories and memories. Hearing her speak of her past through her own perspective was amazing as you were hearing it from the source. Because of her dementia, my father and stepmother had chosen that when they visit to ask her about her past as she has all those memories still intact and loves to reminisce.
RV: What do you hope people take away from watching Homecoming?
MD: My hope is that people cherish the family and time they have in front of them and to not take that time for granted. Also, go talk to your family about your own ancestry and start a family tree. Get those albums out, share stories and find your most enthusiastic family member to organize it all for the family now and future generations.
I went a long time only knowing half my story and I can't stress how happy it makes me feel to know the full story now. I can now share that with my children one day.
RV: Do you have any plans to film a follow up to Homecoming or create more short films?
MD: Since the release of Homecoming I have been speaking with a lot of family members who reached out to me on social media and email. There's always a chance that when I return to River Bourgeois I bring my camera again and see what happens, but no plans for a follow-up film as of yet.
I absolutely have plans on doing another short film, but haven't found my next story yet. Still debating on another documentary or creating my own fictional story.
To watch Homecoming, click here.
