Through the eyes of Mariel, who received an Oscar nomination for her role in Woody Allen's 1979 film Manhattan, and who has spoken for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention,[3] it chronicles the story of three of the author's grandchildren; Mariel, Margaux Hemingway and Joan "Muffet" Hemingway, daughters of Jack Hemingway, and their struggles with the family history of substance abuse, mental illness and suicide.
[4][5][6] First shown at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, the documentary was promoted on the Oprah Winfrey Network, which aired its premiere on April 27, 2014.
[7][8] Mariel comments early in the film on the fact that seven family members have committed suicide, including Ernest and Margaux.
[13] In the documentary, Mariel describes her own experience with depression and thoughts of suicide, which she says she has overcome,[14] and talks of her difficulties in dealing with sometimes abusive family members,[5][6][a] and with the mental illness of her sister Muffet, diagnosed with "bipolar schizophrenia".
[4][11] A reviewer called the film "one of the bleakest snapshots of the human soul at this year's [Sundance] festival".