4 minute read
Sometimes I Think About Dying
How does social ties impact mental health?
by Romain Copette
At the beginning of November an important cultural moment for the city of Thessaloniki and our volunteers happened: The Thessaloniki International Film Festival. For 10 days most of us, Balkan Hotspot Volunteers, went to watch some of the movies which were screened at the festival. The movie I saw is called “Sometimes I think about dying”, an intriguing title for a very intriguing movie.
The film stars Daisy Ridley (Rey in Star Wars’ last trilogy) as the main character. “Sometimes I think about dying” depicts the story of Fran, a young working woman, who doesn’t seem to have any social life or social skills at all. She is giving the viewer a sense of loneliness throughout the movie, she barely has any interaction with her coworkers and is always seen alone in her house and environment, even at work.
Her life starts to change when she meets Robert, her new co-worker who seems interested in her. Soon, both of them will start to share moments, a dinner and even a kiss.
Robert is trying to get to know her through their interactions, but she is giving him a hard time since she doesn’t seem to know how to communicate or comprehend what he finds in her.
Being used to living alone, not having any links with her family (if she still has one), always working by herself and never really interacting with anyone in the workplace or only when it’s necessary, creates a situation in which she doesn’t have any social ties or connections with anybody. This explains her difficult relationship with Robert and the difficulties he has to reach her.
“Fran is lonely, but actually she might be suffering from something far greater - depression.”
While some people sometimes look for loneliness, Fran appears to have always only lived in solitude and doesn’t know any other way of living; it may seem painful from a viewer’s perspective but not for her. She thinks about dying, which appears to fulfill her dreams, creating a sense of confusion from a viewer’s standpoint.
That sense of loneliness is not just a feeling, during the movie; as viewers, we understand that Fran is lonely, but actually she might be suffering from something far greater - depression.
When Robert appears in her life, he also appears in her dream, showing that their connection makes her rethink her wish of dying. This can be explained by the fact that “the contacts between people might play a role in protecting them from depression” according to a study from the health observatory of Hainaut (in Belgium).
This study also shows that “the mechanism of social isolation acts directly but also retroactively to keep and increase the impact on mental health”, that’s one of the reasons she might not understand why Robert is trying to get close to her.
Even if everybody experiences depression differently, all her symptoms hint to it. “The isolated persons are more frequently subject to psychic issues such as depression” as shown by the health observatory of Hainaut.
Taking a subject such as mental health and social life is always a risky path when it comes to shooting a movie. Another good example of movies exploring mental illnesses would be “Silver Linings Playbook”, a movie talking about depression through the character of Pat (Bradley Cooper) whose life shifted after his wife left him. In this case, the movie depicts the aftermath of a relationship and the effects it had on the main character. These two movies speak about similar topics but they show different perspectives and narratives.
With a great direction and beautiful photography, making every shot in the movie appear as if they are paintings, Rachel Lambert (the director) takes us through the journey of a woman who might just be your neighbor or your coworker, making every moment of the movie real in its own way, even in the dreamy moments of Fran.
I personally really liked this movie. I think it’s mainly because the subject speaks to me in a way. ‘Sometimes I think about dying’ is a personal experience, the movie appeals to me because I can understand through my personal life what Fran is living through or feeling. The movie, through shot selections and a slow rhythm, gave me a feeling of loneliness, putting an emphasis on Fran’s mental state and social life. It reminds us how important social ties are in a person’s mental health.
