The “Return to Palau” documentary had its Michigan premiere at the Howard Performing Arts Center on April 16, a sunny Saturday afternoon. Directed by 老司机传媒 graduate Michelle Hamel, the film centers around the DePaiva family, especially Melissa (DePaiva) Gibson who suffered an unbelievable tragedy: the 2003 murder of her father Ruimar, her mother Margareth, and her brother Larrisson, while the family was serving as missionaries in Palau. Melissa is a survivor of abuse and trauma. The movie focuses on how her relatives rallied together to provide for Melissa, and how forgiveness and healing are possible, even in the most unthinkable of circumstances. I would strongly recommend reading about the complex sequence of events before continuing.
The event at the HPAC itself was put together wonderfully, and due to a full house, an overflow section had to be created in the Newbold Auditorium in Buller Hall in an attempt to seat all the guests waiting to view the film. A second showing of the film was put on that same evening to accommodate those who either could not find a seat or saw how the film was received and wanted to see it for themselves.
Following the first showing was a Q&A, which included Pastor Dwight K. Nelson of Pioneer Memorial Church, who asked questions to Melissa and her husband, Michael Gibson. Also on the panel was psychologist Ann Hamel, who served as a producer, and director Michelle Hamel. The Q&A was a great opportunity to hear from those involved about the three-year production of the film. A reception was held afterward, giving those in attendance the opportunity to meet Melissa and Michael.
There were many storylines intertwined in the DePaiva story, whether that was the psychologist’s perspective, having to come down to Palau immediately after the murder to care for Melissa and her trauma, Pastor Tiago and his Bible studies with the murderer, or the powerful perspective of her grandmother, Ruth DePaiva, whose role as Melissa’s primary caretaker stood out to all who watched. As said by Michelle Hamel during the Q&A, when asked about material for the film to begin with, “We started off with the interviews from Melissa and Ruth. We weren’t even planning on going to Palau in the beginning, but as more of the story revealed itself, especially through Ruth’s incredible interview, I just knew we had to go to Palau to get beautiful shots and B-roll. But then we realized there were so many people we could talk to, including the Queen of Palau and the President, who were more than willing to speak about the tragedy, and maybe even [the murderer] Justin” (who is currently serving three life sentences without parole).
The film did end up featuring an interview with Justin, and his deep remorse for what he had done. An audible and uniform gasp from the audience in Newbold showed the shock that prevailed when we got to hear from him. That choice of the filmmakers to do an interview with him displays the deep forgiveness that the DePaiva family has for him, and the true commitment that the filmmakers had to illustrate that immense grace. The different viewpoints of those involved were navigated seamlessly. The diverse footage provided to tell the complex narratives given through numerous interviews throughout the film was done masterfully. Producer Ann Hamel had this to say about all of the new and old footage obtained: “We got footage that we never imagined we’d get years into the project. We got footage of the stories told in the interviews we did, whether it was Melissa jump roping in school, the funeral for her family in Palau, or the Christmas tree the DePaiva’s lit days before the murder. It feels divinely orchestrated.”
The director had this to say about the perspective she envisioned for the film: “My goal was to honor the DePaiva family. I really wanted to get to know who they were, and often in stories like this, it is heavily focused on the murderer and their act. But I had all this beautiful footage of this family, and wanted to focus more on who they are.” She goes on to say, “This is a difficult story to live with and have on your heart these past few years, and I’m so glad to finally share it with the world.”
A few students who attended the premiere shared their thoughts on the film:
Christopher Mata (senior, psychology) found the film eye-opening. He learned how a horrible situation can turn someone’s life into a blessing for others. “It made me realize that God’s forgiveness can reach anyone, even a murderer. As the director said, ‘It’s okay to be mad at someone as long as you take it to God; it’s not a sin to be mad.’ Production was really good, the drone shots were great, and how they were able to interview those involved really added so much because it brought the storyline to life.”
Nathalie Batres (junior, psychology) said, “What stood out to me was the overwhelming theme of forgiveness. She [Melissa] was really little when the murder happened and already then she had love in her heart to keep going in her life, return to Palau to be a missionary, and eventually face Justin and forgive him.”
The film has been nominated for best documentary and best director at the International Christian Film Festival, one of the largest Christian film festivals in the world, which takes place from May 4–7 in Orlando, Florida. It has also won awards and been nominated in several other film festivals. The film is currently being translated into Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese.
If you’d like to watch the film again or see it for the first time, updates on the online public release of the film are , and general news of the film is !
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of 老司机传媒. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, 老司机传媒 or the Seventh-day Adventist church.