How do you rebuild your sense of self after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder? Daniel Léger experienced his first manic episode in his early thirties. With courage and vulnerability, he recounts how his diagnosis shook his identity to the core. Through striking images created with fire and soot by visual artist Steven Spazuk, the film depicts Léger’s personality in rich nuances of shadow and light. The transformations paint a sensitive portrait of a man who, despite his mental health struggles, has been able to rise from the ashes.
How do you rebuild your sense of self after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder? Acadian filmmaker Daniel Léger teams up with visual artist Steven Spazuk to tell a riveting story of shadow and light in this animated short film—the first to use the “fumage” technique.
A long-time seeker of meaning and adventure, Léger experienced his first manic episode in his early thirties. He was committed to a psychiatric hospital and diagnosed with bipolar disorder, shattering his sense of identity. Narrated in the first person with disarming vulnerability, The Flames of Me is an autobiographical account that’s depicted using Spazuk’s strikingly dynamic images, painted with fire. As if by magic, a candle flame deposits a layer of soot on cardstock, which the artist then scrapes away using various implements to bring out different shapes and light. The swirls of light and dark grey give form to facets of Léger’s personality that are both projections of the imagination and sources of fear. In thousands of ever-changing images, a king morphs into a demon, then becomes a lion or a snowy owl, then disappears into smoke to be reborn from the ashes. This sensitive and courageous self-portrait reminds us that identity transcends mental health struggles and that the path back to self is through love.
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Created with fire and soot, this animated short recounts one man’s journey through shadow and light after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his thirties.
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The first animated film to be drawn using flames, this courageous self-portrait reminds us that no one is defined solely by their dark side.
“Fumage” is an artistic technique developed in the 1930s by surrealist painter Wolfgang Paalen. It consists of moving a candle flame close to a surface (cardstock, paper or freshly painted canvas) to deposit a layer of soot. The smoke gives rise to random shapes and shades of grey. The artist then uses various implements, such as precision knife blades, brushes or feathers, to define edges, brighten certain areas or shape textures. With an artistic lineage that can be traced to surrealist experimentation and automatic drawing, the technique blends chance, intuition and technical skill.
Bipolar disorder, formerly called “manic depression,” is a mood disorder characterized by swings between manic episodes (periods of high energy, euphoria or excessive irritability) and episodes of severe depression.1
About 3% of Canadians will suffer from a bipolar disorder during their lifetimes.2
With suitable care—usually a combination of medication and psychosocial intervention—people with bipolar disorder can control their symptoms and lead fulfilling lives.3 According to a recent study, 43% of people with bipolar disorder in Canada were symptom-free, and about one in four people (23.5%) achieve complete mental health.4
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1 : World Health Organization
2 : Health Canada
3 : World Health Organization
4 : University of Toronto
CANADIAN MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
Mood Disorders Society of Canada: What is Bipolar Disorder?, Find help by province and territory, Discussion forum
Canadian Mental Health Association: How to get help, Helping others
Bipolar Wellness Center: Online resource for self-managing bipolar disorder
Relief (French only): Living with bipolar disorder, Regional resources
Directed, written and narrated by
Daniel Léger
Illustrated and animated by
Steven Spazuk
Produced by
Christine Aubé
Music
Daniel Lanois
Sound Designer
Daniel Toussaint
Editor
Guillaume Marin-Lafond
Storyboard Consultant
Claude Cloutier
Author Consultant
Claude Demers
Assistant Animators
Melrouss
Danielle Delhaes
Louis C. Hébert
Narration Translation
Monique LeBlanc
Voice Director – Narration
Monique LeBlanc
Narration Recording
Jonathan Sonier
Tournage de référence
Participation of
Daniel Léger
Calid Léger
Jacem Léger
Éric Butler
Mathieu LeBlanc
Benoît Morin
Director of Photography
Gilles Doiron
First Assistant Camera
Nicolas Boudreau
Production Manager
Colette Mallais
Costumes Designer
Lynn Losier
Props
Andrea Buckle
Fetus Scene Shoot
Director of Photography
Oliver Bernardi
Mosaic and Smoke Transition Scenes Shoots
Director of Photography
Gilles Doiron
Production Team
Executive Producers
Nathalie Cloutier
Denis McCready
Producer
Christine Aubé
Line Producer
Geneviève Duguay
Administrators
Karine Desmeules
Sia Koukoulas
Geneviève Duguay
Senior Production Coordinator
Audrey Rétho
Animation Team
Executive Producer
Christine Noël
Production Consultant
Marc Bertrand
Line Producer
Mélanie Boudreau Blanchard
Technical Director
Eric Pouliot
Technical Specialist – Animation
Yannick Grandmont
Studio Coordinator
Rose Mercier-Marcotte
Senior Production Coordinator
Josiane Bernardin
Foley
Lise Wedlock
Foley Recording
Geoffrey Mitchell
Re-recording Mixer
Isabelle Lussier
Online Editor and colourist
Yannick Carrier
Titles
Mélanie Bouchard
Subtitling
difuze
Technical Coordinators
Jean-François Laprise
Daniel Lord
Technical Support – Editing
Pierre Dupont
Patrick Trahan
Albert Kurian
Technical Support – Audio
Bernard Belley
Coordinator – Versions and Accessibility
Sylvie Azoulay
Archival Research and Rights Clearances
Emma Brunet – LaNégo
Marika Lapointe
Music
“ Drum Solo ” (Jordan Cannata)
performed by Jordan Cannata
℗ 2017 Jordan Cannata
“ Steel Symphony Edit 2 ” (Daniel Lanois)
© Penny Farthing Music (ASCAP) obo Daniel Lanois Songs (ASCAP)
c/o Concord Music Publishing ℗ Bicycle Mus Co Inc
“ Forest Buffalo ” (Daniel Lanois)
© Penny Farthing Music (ASCAP) obo Daniel Lanois Songs (ASCAP)
c/o Concord Music Publishing ℗ Bicycle Mus Co Inc
“ Drone Drums ” (Daniel Lanois)
© Penny Farthing Music (ASCAP) obo Daniel Lanois Songs (ASCAP)
c/o Concord Music Publishing ℗ Bicycle Mus Co Inc
“ Inverness ” (Daniel Lanois)
© Penny Farthing Music (ASCAP) obo Daniel Lanois Songs (ASCAP)
c/o Concord Music Publishing ℗ 2022, Bicycle Mus Co Inc
“ Bolero Dub ” (Daniel Lanois)
© Penny Farthing Music (ASCAP) obo Daniel Lanois Songs (ASCAP)
c/o Concord Music Publishing ℗ Bicycle Mus Co Inc
“ The End ” (Daniel Lanois)
© Penny Farthing Music (ASCAP) obo Daniel Lanois Songs (ASCAP)
c/o Concord Music Publishing ℗ Bicycle Mus Co Inc
“ CNN ArtieBB ” (Daniel Lanois)
© Penny Farthing Music (ASCAP) obo Daniel Lanois Songs (ASCAP)
c/o Concord Music Publishing ℗ Bicycle Mus Co Inc
“ Sunday Asylum ” (Daniel Lanois)
© Penny Farthing Music (ASCAP) obo Daniel Lanois Songs (ASCAP)
c/o Concord Music Publishing ℗ 2022, Bicycle Mus Co Inc
“ Eau ” (Daniel Lanois)
© Penny Farthing Music (ASCAP) obo Daniel Lanois Songs (ASCAP)
c/o Concord Music Publishing ℗ 2022, Bicycle Mus Co Inc
“ Pavel ” (Daniel Lanois)
© Penny Farthing Music (ASCAP) obo Daniel Lanois Songs (ASCAP)
c/o Concord Music Publishing
Archives
Alamy
All Canada Photos
California Historical Society
Chaiyapruek youprasert/Alamy
Daniel Léger
Envato Elements
iStock.com/ChrisGorgio
iStock.com/Coldimages
iStock.com/Denis-Art
iStock.com/lanser314
Kangal GanG
KHM-Museumsverband
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen
Nasjonalmuseet
Pond5
Shutterstock
United States Department of Education
University of Southern California Libraries
World History Archive/Image Asset Management
Thanks to
Nathalie Hébert
Jacem Léger
Calid Léger
Nicole Léger
Valmont Léger
Martine Léger
Monique LeBlanc
Mario Robichaud
Danielle Delhaes
Louis Hébert
Nathalie Carles
Jean-François Renaud
Bernard Leduc
Jacques Perotte
Rémi Poirier
Rachelle Richard-Léger
Margaret Marissen
Madeleine Blanchard
Senior Marketing Advisor
Judith Lessard-Bérubé
Marketing Project Manager
Marion Duhaime-Morissette
Marketing Coordinator
Emilie Ryan
Publicist
Nadine Viau
Legal Advisor
Julie Patry
Société des auteur.e.trice.s de radio, télévision et cinéma (SARTEC)
Directors Guild of Canada | Guilde canadienne des réalisateur⸱trices
ACTRA
The Flames of Me
A National Film Board of Canada production
nfb.ca
© 2026 National Film Board of Canada