DOP Michael Mcdermott, director Shireen Narayanan Director, first assistant camera Arthur Bienkowski and actor Ashleigh Zinko on location.
Camera IconDOP Michael Mcdermott, director Shireen Narayanan Director, first assistant camera Arthur Bienkowski and actor Ashleigh Zinko on location. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

The Claire Murray story revealed in new documentary

Lucy RutherfordWestern Suburbs Weekly

IN 2010, Claire Murray made headlines with her search for a liver transplant, depicted by the media as an ungrateful junkie who recklessly destroyed her first transplant.

Almost a decade in the making, Wild Butterfly is a new documentary that reveals a side to Claire’s story that was never told.

The film alleges she was sexually assaulted on a school camp and shows how that traumatic experience reverberated throughout the rest of her life.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

Director Shireen Narayanan’s background as a psychotherapist meant she had an insight into the role trauma played in Claire’s use of drugs.

“She was basically put on trial by the media and this happened because of the lack of understanding that trauma is often the basis of problematic drug use,” she said.

“With our extensive research getting documents through freedom of information such as medical records, what began to emerge was layer upon layer of systemic failure joining all the issues of the trauma, mental health and drug use.”

A school aged Claire Murray.
Camera IconA school aged Claire Murray. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Narayanan said Wild Butterfly was not your average documentary as it is very heavily dramatized.

“It is a very dark, complex, tragic story but I felt it could be told in a cinematically beautiful way,” she said.

“The intimacy of this approach is deeply moving and it also serves what we’re trying to do with is engage people and help them understand.”

Narayanan became very close to Claire’s family with her parents Michael and Val instigating the making of the documentary.

“The courage and dedication of the family after the trauma they have suffered and to still have that driving force, driven by love, commitment and dedication to her memory, I just have such respect for them,” she said.

“It was actually Claire’s dying wish that her story be told, she wanted to make a difference, Wild Butterfly is really Claire’s gift to us all.

“The other thing that’s really important for us and the family is that someone will come forward after watching the film, because our professional advice is that the perpetrator had done it before and he would have done it again.”

Wild Butterfly is showing at Event Innaloo and Ace Cinemas Rockingham on March 9, Palace Cinemas Paradiso on March 12, and Windsor Theatre on May 20.

For tickets, visit fan-force.com/films/wild-butterfly.

More Lifestyle