After Candace: The Art of Healing Documentary Film and Discussion Guide

Cliff and Wilma Derksen share their story of resilience and posttraumatic change following the murder of their daughter Candace in 1984. Wilma reflects on complex grief and healing, while Cliff shares the power of art to transform trauma. Full of wisdom, faith, and vibrant creativity, Cliff and Wilma help us understand the multifaceted nature of violence and recovery. The documentary is filmed on location in Winnipeg, Canada.

This discussion guide follows the themes and art pieces presented in the film, offering reflection questions and discussion prompts. The guide can be used in its entirety or you can focus your discussion on an area that resonates with your group.

Participants could be grouped together to discuss different themes, or encouraged to choose questions independently and provide a written response.

Story Fragmentation

Story fragmentation refers to the different narratives that resulted from Candace’s disappearance. The police said she was a runaway, the family said she was abducted.

Sculpture: Jonah

Jonah risked his life running away from the words that were given to him. This sculpture represents Cliff's challenge to accept his own new story. Working on this piece, Cliff recognized that, like Jonah, he too was trying to run away.

• What specific worry did Cliff experience when he recognized how anger was affecting his life?
• Cliff discusses how, for him, forgiveness was a necessary step in controlling his anger. What other steps might a victim or survivor take to deal with their anger?
• Can you think of other ways that victims or survivors of crime experience story fragmentation?

Uncontrollable Rage

Wilma explains that rage was a powerful, natural, and necessary reaction. It felt out of character and highlighted how the murder had changed her. Wilma talks about confronting the destructiveness of rage in order to move forward.

Sculpture: Werewolf

The werewolf represents the transforming nature of anger felt by the family, at times overpowering their peace-loving identities.

• Wilma talks about rage and revenge being associated with love. Why is there a connection between these emotions?
• What does Wilma mean when she says, "rage is like water?"
• Wilma describes rage as being constructive. What does she mean?
• Why might family, friends, and service providers need to understand rage as a response to trauma?

Time/Memory Warp

Time/Memory warp represents how the Derksens' sense of time became tied to new timeframes: before Candace and after Candace.

Sculpture: Fence post

The piece focuses on the representation of the "broken mind" experienced in victimization. The tortured face symbolizes the internal pain a victim experiences that often goes undetected by the outside world.

• Why does trauma affect a person's sense of time?
• Why did Wilma suggest that having a broken mind is more painful than being in a hospital bed with an illness?
• How can people support victims and survivors experiencing time/memory warp?

Victim/Offender Trauma Bond

Wilma needed to better understand murder, so she met with ten men in prison. She had an honest conversation that sparked her compassion and helped her see the men as human.

Sculpture: Samson

This sculpture represents someone who treated women very badly. He represents Cliff's personal connection and struggle to understand how another man, one of his own kind, could take his daughter's life.

• Why did Wilma feel drawn to speak with men in prison who were convicted for murder?
• What did she gain from the experience?
• What was one of the hardest parts of the healing journey for Cliff?
• Some survivors will want to communicate with the people who harmed them while others will not. Restorative Justice (RJ) programs can help to facilitate this kind of communication. What programs exist in your community that could meet this need?

Grief Displacement

Grieving from violence is difficult because another human being chose to impose the pain. It adds complexity to the grieving process, making it difficult to focus.

Sculpture: Tied Hands

Cliff created this sculpture to emulate Candace's experience of being tied up in a shed for seven weeks. Through this sculpture, he was hoping to experience and feel what Candace had endured. Cliff chose to use his own hands in the sculpture to signify his deep wish that it would have been him instead of Candace. The tying of his hands represents his loss of control in being able to protect his daughter.

• How was making this sculpture therapeutic for Cliff?
• Wilma mentions that her loss was overshadowed with so many different issues. How does grief displacement affect the healing process?
• How can service providers, family, and friends develop a better understanding of complex grieving? Why would that be important to survivors?

Spiritual Crisis

Cliff and Wilma wrestled with questions about their core beliefs and their faith. Where was God when Candace was suffering and could this God be trusted again?

Sculpture: Hand of God

Inspired by William P. Young's bestseller The Shack (2007), this sculpture displays a shack being held by God's hand. It represents the Derksen's belief that God was with Candace in the shack where she was murdered, and that she was not alone.

• Why did Wilma and Cliff choose to film their interviews in the ruins?
• For survivors who identify with a faith, what types of questions do they need to reconcile with their beliefs?
• For survivors who do not identify with a faith, what types of questions might come up about their core beliefs?

Recovery Controversy

Each person's reaction to traumatic loss is different. It includes deeply personal emotions and choices. The Derksens experienced controversy for choosing forgiveness.

Sculpture: Dancing David

Dancing David represents the joy that was coming back into the Derksens' lives after feeling like they would never smile again. David stirred up controversy by dancing naked after a big victory. He experienced judgment in his community for how he expressed his joy.

• Wilma mentions that recovery is different for each person. How does this contribute to controversy?
• Why did Wilma and Cliff feel pressure to keep their happiness a secret?
• How can you be an effective source of support to victims and survivors navigating controversy in their communities?

Paralyzing Despair

Coping with murder is overwhelming; all the feelings can accumulate into overwhelming despair that makes it difficult to move forward. It is common to feel "stuck."

Sculpture: David & Goliath

The story of David and Goliath is one of an unlikely hero: David is a boy who takes on a giant and wins. In this sculpture, Goliath is a representation of overwhelming grief. The fact that David is holding Goliath's sword in victory is showing that he has overcome his adversary.

• Why did the Derksens place this sculpture at the bottom of the stairs leading to the legislature building?
• What did Wilma describe as one of the main challenges she faced?
• Reflecting on how a survivor's needs can change over time, what supports might be needed 5, 10, or 20 years after victimization?
• What training or resources are available in your community to support survivors who may be thinking about suicide?

Recycling the Tragedy

Recycling is the process of changing the fear, torture, ugliness, negativity, and evil that was in control of their lives into something new.

Sculpture: Throne of Swords with a Seat of Feathers

Cliff was never comfortable with the Throne of Swords and needed to find a way for the piece to better reflect how he felt. He designed a seat of feathers to represent the transformation of tragedy into something beautiful.

• Cliff says that feathers speak of “warmth, of nurturing, of comfort”. Why did he choose to place the Seat of Feathers in the Throne of Swords?
• How is recycling tragedy an ongoing process?