The sound mixer from the award-winning movie, “Nomadland,” has died after taking his own life … and his father thinks the coronavirus pandemic may have played a part.
Michael Wolf Snyder had not been heard from for several days, when his dad, psychiatrist Dr. David Snyder, went to check on him in his Queens apartment. David discovered his son’s body.
Dr. Snyder says his son had battled severe depression for years.
35-year-old Michael, who went by his middle name, Wolf, had achieved a lot professionally. In addition to the Golden-Globe winning “Nomadland,” he worked on the Emmy-nominated show, “Good Omens.” He also worked on the 2017 sci-fi flick, “Imitation Girl,” and the 2018 movie, “The Amaranth.”
Frances McDormand, the star of “Nomadland,” said, “Wolf recorded our heartbeats. Our every breath. For me, he is ‘Nomadland.'”
Wolf worked as a boom operator and sound mixer with filmmaker Chloe Zhao for “The Rider,” and Zhao said, “I always looked at Wolf after each take. I didn’t wear headphones on the set so I heavily relied on Wolf to be my ears. He would nod at me with a happy grin, or tears in his eyes, or sometimes he would discreetly signal, ‘one more.'”
Wolf’s dad said he didn’t know how deeply his son had been struggling with depression, saying, “I am a psychiatrist who was not able to save his own son, partly because he would not share the depth of his pain,” adding, “For most people, this is an illness that waxes and wanes over the years. I’m sure it was difficult for Michael that he spent most of the last year alone in his small, Queens apartment, being responsible about dealing with the coronavirus.” He went on … “In spite of this, we all believed he was doing well, and for most of this past year I think he was.”
Wolf was 35. RIP