Suicide isn't a pleasant subject, nor should it be promoted. Ignoring it accomplishes nothing so films that send a message about the cause and effects of suicide are welcome, as long as they do so honestly and tactfully.
Keanu Reeves Picks Up the Pieces
In Permanent Record (1988), we meet David Sinclair (Alan Boyce), a popular, smart and talented young man with a bright future ahead. David views himself as one unable to achieve the excellence everyone expects from him. He fears failure. How does he deal with the pressure? He jumps off a cliff.
His best friend, Chris Townsend (Keanu Reeves), thinks it's an accident until he receives a note along with the music for the school musical from David. What follows is a communities struggle to understand what pushed the boy they all loved to end his life. It's a coming of age tale filled with sorrow and hope.
Jamie Bell Remains Silent
The Chumscrubber (2006) takes a different route. Troy Johnson (Joshua Janowicz) is a supplier of feel-good pills to the Hillside neighborhood kids. When his best friend, Dean Stiffle (Jamie Bell), finds him dead, he doesn't tell anyone. The perfect people of this perfect world are so self-absorbed he figures no one will care.
The kids at Hillside aren't concerned by Troy's passing; they're worried about their drug supply, or rather its loss. The main dealers find it difficult to meet demand and take extreme measures to ensure Dean retrieves Troy's last stash. The death of a young man leaves a void but the loss of life isn't mourned.
Anton Yelchin Strives to Make Things Better
The film Charlie Bartlett (2007) features an attempted suicide. Kip Crombwell (Mark Rendall) is having some problems. He feels invisible. When he discovers Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) can get his hands on prescription medications he asks for help. Charlie obliges. The problem is, Charlie's help isn't working.
Despite the use of drugs, Kip still struggles with his feelings and attempts suicide. He fails but it teaches Charlie a lesson. Kip needed a friend not medication. The two young men embark on a more appropriate venture.
The Portrayal of Suicide
All three movies focus on a grim subject but illuminate it in different ways. Permanent Record demonstrates how life goes on for those left behind; everyone recovers regardless of whether they understand the decisions of their lost loved one. Though tears are shed during the viewing, it ends on a positive note.
The Chumscrubber tells a different story. We don't know the character that commits suicide but we learn what his life must have been like by watching the world go on without him. Of those who notice his absence, only two show genuine grief. The community learns nothing from his loss.
In Charlie Bartlett, suicide isn't the theme but Kip's depression is the catalyst for Charlie's feel-good endeavors. Viewers get a glimpse into the mindset of a teenager before he attempts suicide and how he recovers after failure. The focus on Kip isn't in-depth and the resolution is a bit too tidy but it doesn't flinch from showing his pain.
Depression and suicide are serious problems and movies should handle the subject gently but with honesty. The three films discussed here provide glimpses of what leads one to suicide and how those decisions affect others. They do so without judgmental tones, which make them successful.
Missy Frye - Missy is a budding writer honing her craft on freelance articles and short stories. She's currently working on a novel set in the modern ...
