The late Bruce Ario was a Minneapolis writer whose story is as interesting as the work he created.
Born in 1955, Ario grew up in Minneapolis, Minn. He earned an economics degree at the University of Minnesota in 1978.
After finishing school, Ario started to have mental health issues and “became convinced I might be Jesus,” according to an article he published on MinnesotaAlumni.org.
Ario was diagnosed with schizophrenia and with the help of medication was later accepted into law school at the U of M. Law school did not go as planned for Ario, he went off of his medication, started drinking again, and saw his life start to unravel.
He also suffered a traumatic brain injury from a car accident while he was in college, which according to his literary executor Dan Schneider, unleashed his talents.
“He was mentally ill before the TBI but the TBI seemed to unleash his creativity, even as it hampered his day-to-day life. It’s like a comic book moment where someone gets powers they lacked before,” said Schneider.
Ario’s life went off the rails before he became known as a prolific writer.
He was homeless on the streets of Minneapolis at his lowest point before he was arrested for public indecency. He spent time in mental health group homes, where Ario was able to begin his recovery.
It was during his time in the mental health group home, under the care of an Art Therapist, that it became clear to Ario he didn’t want to go back to law school. He wanted to be a writer.
Ario began as a poet, then playwriting, and eventually long-form prose and novels.
Ario unexpectedly passed away in 2022.
Alex Sheremet and Joel Parrish decided to make a documentary film about Bruce’s life and his art. When asked why they decided to do so, Sheremet responded:
“Because if we don’t, no one else will.”
The pair of filmmakers hope to have their documentary debut later this year and eventually make rounds in film festivals nationally. They hope to have the film screen in Arkansas, too. The film’s title is From There to There: Bruce Ario, the Minneapolis Poet, and it’s the first effort in the medium from Parrish and Sheremet.
For Sheremet, a Belarusian immigrant turned New Yorker, and Parrish, a Midwesterner with roots in Michigan, the project was born out of a collaboration fueled by admiration for Ario’s work.
The two friends ventured to Minneapolis to capture shots of the city and interview people who were close to Bruce.
“Just by default, the vast majority is in and around Minneapolis, so we are really trying to steep the viewer into this city and show some of its little niche alleyways,” said Parrish. “We want to demonstrate that life in that city, is similar to life in any city. It’s the same hurdles anyone needs to overcome to become a Cityboy or a cityperson.”
Cityboy is the title of a novel by Ario. The novel reflects on his coming of age and can be purchased on Amazon. However, the version on Amazon is the pre-restoration version, as Schneider restored the novel to its original 1990s version which they hope to publish this year as a brand-new edition.
It’s a story of a man trying to reintegrate himself into society and the city after being declared insane and schizophrenic by medical professionals.
Sheremet captured his footage on a Canon EOS that was current in 2018. He used an attachment lens as well. He said when he purchased the camera it cost around $1,000 in 2018 and now goes for around $500. He used an attachment mic that cost around $60.
“The point I’m making here giving the price tags is you can make a great film under $10,000. But you have to do some of this stuff yourself. I would not have done this if it wasn’t for Joel agreeing to do it with me,” said Sheremet. “Two people for five days, you get a sufficient amount of footage. One person for five days, probably not. If you have a friend and both of you have always wanted to do a film, and you split some costs, together you’ll be spending under $10,000. Literally, it’s doable, you don’t need special permissions, and you don’t need to take classes. Trust me, I’m a total amateur when it comes to the camera but this going to be a very high-quality film. All this other stuff is self-talk, to talk yourself out of doing something hard.”
Parrish captured his footage on a Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX.
He took his still photographs on 35mm and medium format film cameras.
“I shot stills alongside the video and some of the stills will be making it into the film as well,” Parrish added.
Both found Ario’s work on Schneider’s website cosmoetica.com. Parrish and Sheremet emphasized out how much help Schneider and his wife Jessica have been throughout the project.
“Bruce had been friends with Dan and Jessica since the 90s in the Minneapolis poetry, literature, and open mic scene. Bruce had already been writing for a while at that point,” said Parrish. “Bruce was a very social person. Once he ‘got right’, a huge part of maintaining his structure in life was his connection with people. Yes, he devoted a lot of time to writing, but for him, it seems almost, from what we can gather, a tale of extremes. He really kind of pinballed between a very rich social life and dedication to his writing.”
Ario’s poetry had been on Cosmoetica for years. There are also several interviews of Ario online they reference in the film too. Ario has also written for automachination.com, Sheremet’s online literary magazine.
Parrish never had the chance to speak to Ario when he was alive. They decided to make the film about Ario because of how interesting his story is and because he was a great poet.
“I only know him through his poetry, so to speak,” said Parrish.
Sheremet spoke with Ario several times but still felt like he had more to learn from their relationship.
“I wish I would have spent more time speaking with him back when he was around. One of the things about getting older is coming to terms with the fact that time is not infinite, everything always feels infinite. Then one day, Bruce, still writing great poetry, dies,” said Sheremet.
In addition to his writing, Ario’s faith played a major role in his life. He described himself as a born-again Christian and was an active member of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis. He was also known as a public advocate for people with mental illnesses.
Sheremet and Parrish hope to have their first screening of the film at Ario’s church and then produce a DVD that will be available online.
All poems copyright © The Estate of Bruce Ario