Kristoff St. John Last Project: A Justice For Julian Film

Kristoff St. John and his ex-wife, Mia, made it their mission to spread awareness of mental illness after their son, Julian, took his own life in 2014. With Kristoff now gone, Mia St. John is continuing their efforts and has asked for help spreading her message.

On Monday afternoon, St. John tweeted a portion of the film she and her ex-husband had been working on, which tells Julian’s story from the time he was a small child until his death.

She goes through some of the signs of mental illness, and also admits she had always seen something different in her son and was keenly alert to the signs of depression when they began.

The film features footage of Julian’s life and his art, as well as moments when he seemed to be in emotional crisis. It’s gritty and raw and shows us what mental illness looks like so we can see it in our loved ones and get them the help they need.

Julian was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and turned to illegal street drugs to self-medicate. Mia recounts how the talented artist would be placed in 72-hour-psych holds and then released into the street with nothing.

In 2014, she placed him in a facility contracted by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health to get his meds back on track and that is where he died under murky circumstances.

The short film can be seen above and is a must watch so we can all understands the signs of mental illness.