The story of a Western New York veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder is the subject of a film showing in Rochester this week as part of the Reel Mind Theater & Film Series.
The event focuses on the social stigma of mental illness. Organizers want to provide a message of hope that recovery is possible.
The film “Poster Girl” is showing at the Memorial Art Gallery Tuesday evening. The army veteran mentioned in the title is Robynn Murray, a native of Niagara County.
The title of the movie is based on a poster made from a picture of Murray on the cover of the Army's official magazine. She was depicted in the image as the ideal female soldier.
But Murray's military experience was not picture-perfect. She believes her experience with PTSD began during her first deployment to Iraq in 2003 where she worked as a machine gunner.
"I started to have panic attacks and I had no idea what they were. I thought I had a heart problem because I'd never had anything like that before, so I was sent to clinic on my FOB (forwarding operating base)."
Murray was officially diagnosed with PTSD when she came back home in 2007, and she was dealing with other issues, too. Even though she had a hip injury, she didn't qualify for full military retirement based on a disability.
"I was really upset because I was in chronic pain, I was running out of money, I had no idea what I was going to do; I couldn't get a job.”
In two different scenes of the film, Murray is shown putting her fist through the wall and kicking her car after finding out it would cost $1,000 to get a new battery and make some other repairs.
"And remember thinking, 'How the hell am I going to pay for this?’ Murray said. ‘I have no money. What am I gonna to do?' I broke down and I get really, really angry. Really angry. Because I felt helpless and I felt hopeless."
Robynn Murray is now attending classes at Niagara University. She wants to become a lawyer.
"Poster Girl" will be screened Tuesday, May 5 at the Memorial Art Gallery with a Q and A session to follow with Murray, Jennifer DeLucia, wellness program manager at the Veterans Outreach Center, and Leslie Werlin, arts educator at Creative Wellness Opportunities.
