Schizophrenia Stole Their Lives: Let Me Have My Son the Father Cried

The human heart, created in the image of God, longs for things to be right and fair. When our sense of justice is attacked, the natural response is “How can you let this happen, God?!” We seldom realize it in the moment, but our pain-filled cry echoes God’s own heart. Cristobal Krusen captures this transcendent truth in his cinematic masterpiece, Let Me Have My Son. This semi-autobiographical film shares the story of Krusen’s first-born son, Daniel, and his plea to all who would listen Let Me Have My Son back from schizophrenia. The ‘apple of his father’s eyes’, Daniel carried the hopes and dreams of his father well – excelling in sports, loving others, and memorizing Bible verses as a toddler. Troubling signs were easily dismissed by loved ones, but by age 18 mental illness snatched Daniel’s future away and changed the trajectory of every life he touched.

I did not just want to document the facts, which could lead to a static and superficial portrayal of the story. The real story, in my view, has more to do with the inner world we inhabit as human beings – the emotional, psychological and spiritual world. Yes, part of the film is true according to outer events that happened, but more of the story is “true as to how it felt”, especially for the father, and “true as to how it will be” as we approach eternity. – Cristobal Krusen

With raw transparency and subtle, yet profound, symbolism, Let Me Have My Son chronicles one father’s emotional and spiritual journey to hope through the wilderness of mental illness. In a world facing a growing mental health crisis, Krusen steps into the darkness with a gentle light that offers comfort to all affected by and afflicted with mental illness. Never descending to preachy narrative, the movie conveys Krusen’s conviction that the answers we seek lie beyond this lifetime. “If we are looking for doors of healing and understanding to open in this life only, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment beyond words.”

Grief comes in many ways throughout our lives – deaths, broken dreams, failures. It’s the common human experience. Krusen’s Let Me Have My Son struggles to find the answers to the common, gut-wrenching cry of, “Why, God?” Born out of a father’s broken heart, it masterfully and mysteriously reveals the heart of the Heavenly Father.

Krusen explains, “I had dedicated him [Daniel] to God from conception; he was a blessed and highly favored young man! But when the years passed … I began to question God’s goodness and faithfulness.” Unable to make sense of the tragedy, Krusen poured his heart out in letters to trusted friends. Those letters became a book that evolved into the movie releasing on May 24. Let Me Have My Son looks back on the journey, reverently seeking to grasp how the Gospel offers hope in deep darkness.

Beyond a ministry to the hurting, Let Me Have My Son also presents a call to the church to step into the mental health crisis with the love of God. “People who are hurting need to feel your warmth and concern; that you care and that you “accept them in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6).” As believers in Jesus Christ, who know what Christ’s suffering produced for us, we must embrace the Lord’s command to weep with those who weep.

Cristobal persevered through his pain to grow closer to the Lord. Now, he’s found a beautiful intimacy with God that has comforted and sustained him: “I thank God for the trials … that have drawn me closer to Him. However, I become more like Jesus as a result of this, I give thanks.”

Listen to the interview below and get a glimpse of his journey in Let Me Have My Son. I promise, it will be time well spent:

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Order your tickets for Let Me Have My Son by Cristobal Krusen.