Local movie producer to pen film about inspirational youth
Levi Hill/News-Sun
In a world where you can be anything you want, be a Canaan Bower.
That might well become the theme of the film Lovington resident Mary Haarmeyer is writing about the inspirational 18-year-old who made national headlines as a hero high school student who stopped a kidnapping, and later tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident in 2002.
“Canaan’s story, it shows the best of human nature,” Haarmeyer said. “He was just an amazing young man. He was a peaceful warrior.”
Canaan was a junior at Mayfield High School in Las Cruces in 2020 when he made national headlines.
He was filling up his truck with gas in Doña Ana when heard a woman screaming at Chucky’s Gas Station across the street.
A man was trying to take a woman’s children, and had assaulted several patrons and an employee. Canaan ran into store and pinned the man down until law enforcement arrived.
What he did next is almost unfathomable.
Not only did he protect the woman, children and store patrons from the man, but when the small mob decided to get retribution by assaulting the pinned attacker, Canaan protected the man.
“He was holding this guy down, practically face-to-face, and he was cussing and spitting at Canaan and in the midst of all that he was still protecting him. He could have situated himself to let them rain down with punches,” said Troy Bower, Canaan’s father and a Lovington native.
Then, without so much as a second thought, Canaan left the scene and went to a friend’s house to help him work on a car.
Hours later, police called Canaan’s parents looking for the young man to take his statement. Even when his parents called him to find out where he was, they had to drag the story out of him.
“He didn’t think of it as a big deal,” Haarmeyer said. “‘I just did what everyone else would do,’ he told them.”
Haarmeyer said the film will be along the lines of a “based on a true story,” inspirational film and she’s formulating the script in her head now. She will begin writing it next year after filming wraps on two other movies she’s directing.
Las Cruces-based filmmaker Ross Kagan Marks, who fell in love with Canaan’s story when Haarmeyer introduced him to Troy and his wife Kara, will direct Canaan’s movie.
Haarmeyer said she has already interviewed numerous people who knew Canaan, including friends and teachers, but plans to do more interviews. At every turn she hears another inspirational story about the young man and will likely have more than she can fit into a feature-length film.
“He was so amazing, kind and sweet,” she said. “Without being asked or even telling anyone, he would be over mowing an elderly person’s lawn. “Everyone I talked to — this kid walked on water. He was a servant.”
The backbone of the film will be the father/son relationship, Haarmeyer said and it has such an amazingly tragic premonition to it that is sure to tug a heartstrings.
“From the time he was young he would say he wasn’t going to live very long, so he was going to live for today,” Haarmeyer said.
Troy said he never would have believed it was true if he hadn’t witnessed it himself, but Canaan — a giver who would stop and pick up trash just because he saw it needed done — seemed to know his time was short.
“One week before his accident, I asked him to make a phone call regarding my truck, it needed a part, he looked at me and said he wouldn’t do it because I needed to learn to do it without him because he wasn’t always be here to do it for you,” Troy said. “He had broken up with girlfriend the month before his accident and told her she needed to learn to live without him. I witnessed it with my own eyes and ears.
“He knew his purpose on this earth. He did it and he was prepared to exit.”
The stories about the lives Canaan touched go on and on. Troy meets someone new regularly who was touched by Canaan’s kindness in some way.
“Anyone who knew Canaan was inspired daily by being in his presence,” he said. “The stories have inspired so many people who didn’t know him. He touched everyone. He was a friend to all. The number of people who came to us and said he was my best friend and everyone means it.”
Troy said he hopes the movie will be an inspiration to others to try to live their lives more like Canaan lived his.
“He accepted himself for who he was and he accepted everyone for who they are,” he said. “He made everyone feel loved and comfortable around him. His life was certainly inspirational and our hope is to reinstall that faith in humanity and inspire people to be like Canaan. Try to do the right thing.”
At Mayfield High School there is a plaque on the wall that quotes Canaan: “When you see something that needs to be done, be the one to do it.”
“You don’t have to run into a convenience store and stop a kidnapping. But you can love one another,” Troy said.
