Hannah Maynard, a successful photographer in 19th century Victoria, Canada, is unable to move on after the death of her youngest daughter, Lily, and teeters on the edge of madness. Be Still delves deep into her state of mind and the effects of grief on her creative process. Her dead daughter, along with doubles of herself appear to her, and try to help. With their assistance, she creates striking new forms of surrealist photography.

As she focuses more on her darkroom than on clients, her husband, Richard, and physician, Dr. Fell, become concerned. They and others constantly check up on her, invading the space she needs to grieve. Finally, a sleeping pill gives her badly needed rest. But on recovery, she resents Richard’s attempt to restore her to “normal”, and finds her doubles have disappeared. After initially rejecting her old work, she returns to it. Motivated by her collaboration with her doubles, she experiments with a new artform: montage. Eventually she learns that her husband has been suffering as much as she, and they comfort each other, restoring their relationship. Be Still is inspired by the life and work of photographer Hannah Maynard (1834-1918), who became known for her groundbreaking, surrealist works, 40 years before the Surrealist movement.

Be Still delves into the mind of an artist whose shattering grief leads to the creation of striking new artforms.

The film opens with Hannah Maynard, a successful photographer in 19th century Victoria, Canada, in the bathroom, struggling to prepare herself for the funeral of her youngest daughter, Lily. Her husband, Richard, helps her finish dressing, but as they leave, her reflection remains behind in the room.

As the days go by, Hannah, still in her mourning clothes, tries to distract herself through her work, taking portraits of her friend Mattie and Mattie’s stillborn baby, and of a self-centred young society woman.

One day in her darkroom, her concentration is interrupted by the unnerving apparition of her daughter and her own doubles. Though aware that no one else can see them, she allows them into her space but doesn’t actually engage with them.

She withdraws more and more from her clients, making her husband and her physician Dr. Fell more and more concerned. Even though she insists she is quite all right, they and others constantly invade the space that she needs to grieve.

Hannah is on the brink of madness. She retreats to her darkroom for solace only to find her doubles encroaching there, too. She confronts them and discovers they are trying to help. With their collaboration, she experiments with collage techniques, photo montage and composite images. The deeper she gets pulled into her work, the happier she becomes. Yet what her husband sees is a woman unable to sleep for weeks, spending all her time in the darkroom, closing herself off to the world.

Finally, with the help of sleeping pills Richard obtains from Dr. Fell, Hannah gets much needed rest.

Awakening from her deep sleep, Hannah is shocked to find no trace of Lily or her doubles. Her relationship with Richard is strained as she confronts him about his un- subtle interference to bring her “back to normal”.

Having lost her desire to work, and feeling alone and abandoned, Hannah attempts to conjure back her doubles, but to no avail. Finally, she returns to her photography and creates a composite image of her washerwoman, Mary, and an outdoor scene.

While developing these pictures, Hannah comes across the artwork she made with her doubles. This discovery sparks her to re-experience her last memory of Lily in the house. Just outside the darkroom door, she hears Lily pleading with Hannah’s past self as the two were about to leave for the eagerly anticipated Queen’s picnic. Hannah’s past self disappears, and the present-day woman finds herself alone in the room with Lily. She is elated to see her daughter once again, but Richard interrupts the moment, showing Hannah that Lily is not really there. At this point, Hannah breaks down. Rent with grief, she opens up to Richard. He reveals that he is also suffering and needs her just as much as she does him.

Exhausted from the day’s events, Hannah falls asleep in Richard’s arms and dreams of Lily. In the dream, Lily assures Hannah that she is safe. Accepting her reassurance, Hannah makes one last photograph together with her daughter.

Be Still is inspired by the life and work of photographer Hannah Maynard (1834 – 1918), who became known for her groundbreaking, surrealist works, 40 years before the Surrealist movement.

Never judge a book by its cover, they say. But what was on the front of a book I saw 17 years ago in the university library stopped me in my tracks.

The images in Magic Box: The Eccentric Genius of Hannah Maynard blew my mind! They were taken by a photographer in late 19th century British Columbia, Canada. I was particularly stunned by a photographic collage of 22,000 children, whose pictures were all taken and individually cut out by Hannah, and a self-portrait of her and her double standing with her grandchild’s torso floating in the air between them like a statue.

I was transfixed by the beauty of her details and her technical wizardry. It surprised me, however, that very few people were aware of Maynard’s achievements as an artist and businesswoman. As I came to learn, Hannah was the first photographer to employ what came to be considered surrealist techniques, using her medium to create unconventional works that helped express her own emotional struggles.

Maynard’s art became an obsession with me. I connected deeply with the obsessive impulse in her work and became intent on sharing her story in a meaningful way that reflected both her art practices and mine.

This film is based on the screenplay Be Still by acclaimed Canadian playwright Janet Munsil. In it, Munsil explores the theme of using art to process grief in a way that I have always felt is perfect for Hannah’s story. The tragic death of Hannah’s daughter Lily leaves her obsessed with children, duality, and death. Much like Hannah’s life and work, my goal was to create a biopic that is far from traditional. Through surreal elements and magic realism, I wanted to leave the same profound impact on the viewers as Hannah’s story left on me 17 years ago.

The nearly forgotten subject of Be Still is a prime example of women’s successes gone unnoticed. It dovetails with the current conversation around the world regarding gender equality and female empowerment.