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★★★★★
Directed by: #BobbyChase
Written by: Bobby Chase
Starring: #JackBoggan, #AngelaPotrikus, #JohnMacSchurr, Bobby Chase
Jacob: The Story of a Suicide Survivor Movie Review
As a person who has spent a lifetime having mental health issues I have ridden the wave of society’s acceptance and shunning of those who suffer from the many different ailments that the brain casts upon its victims, thanks brain. And now we have come to live in a time whereby everyone is free to discuss, seek help and be accepted no matter their mental state, and while that is immensely positive and an excellent step in the right direction, we are subsequently subjected to the flooding of posts on the internet about mental health awareness. You know the ones, friends hugging in a field with sun flares all over the screen and people like Bob Hoskins telling us it’s ‘’Good to talk’’.
And so, welcome to the stage #filmmaker Bobby Chase, a man who is a triple threat, handsome, talented, and can drive a car, you know all the good stuff, and not just that, but a man who has faced suicide head on, and what do you do with a trauma like that? Well you either let it eat you alive, not recommended, or you can take that energy and invest it into something positive, and in Bobby’s case, writing, directing and starring in a short film about said event seemed like the best idea.
Jacob, straight off the bat, is visually stunning; expansive drone shots over their hometown allow us to not only familiarise the viewer with the suburban backdrop but also bring a sense of understanding that there is a big wide world out there that sometimes we don’t remember exists.
Bobby listens to phone messages, generating a backdrop to the events that are about to unfold, foreshadowed by a phone call from his worried mother about his brother falling into depressive acts again, so like a good bro, he heads over to see if he is ok.
Of course it is not long until he discovers the body of his brother hanging from the basement ceiling, and here is where the film takes a fresh approach to the subject, rather than the dramatic orchestral score and crying from Bobby, we see him fall into shock, he runs around frantically, goes to a neighbour and then makes a rather calm phone call to 911, believable?... hell yes.
This approach has such a stark realism to it that it hits home quickly, people don’t always act like we see on the big screen, humans are complex and the brain sometimes cannot handle it and so we end up acting in a way that does not fit the narrative. Seeing this on film allows us to sympathise with the family more, with the fallout of suicide, and, importantly, makes us consider how we would act.
This is not a short movie about suicide, but more about the reaction to suicide, from friends and family, how people will perceive and react, and this is something that can directly affect those considering such a path, sometimes we need a bit of tough love and Jacob certainly allows this to take centre stage.
We could talk for hours about the professional nature of this piece, the acting, the #cinematography, the script, all is top quality, but really the execution and manner in which the subject is tackled are what make this a standalone piece.
Jacob is currently one of the Free Movies available to watch on the UK Film Channel. Click the image below to watch now!
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