Surviving the Peace

Struggling to come to terms with her father's suicide, a daughter unearths the elusive layers of his mental health when Veterans Affairs reopens his medical records. Andy Pelecis's case is one of the first psychological autopsies in the VA system. Andy's death drove his daughter, Mara, to ask: 'How could he survive the war, but not the peace?' She seeks out other veterans to resolve questions he refused to answer. Rolling Thunder bikers, Veterans for Peace, National Guard and Native American veterans share stories of flashbacks, feelings of survival guilt, and fears of being committed. Combining Andy's Bolex footage with Mara's documentation of the family for 20 years- this is a true story of the fallout of war on a veteran and his family over decades.