Hopelessness, despair, inner emptiness: For many of those affected, depression feels like a big black hole. But suffering has many faces. Dominik Müller and Julian Chariatte want to draw attention to these various aspects of the disease. As part of their high school diploma thesis, the two cantonal students made a short film on the subject of depression with the aim of visualizing the awareness and perception of depression in the form of a short film.
Depression is ubiquitous. “It’s not just a big topic on social media, but also in school,” says Müller. The two cantons asked themselves whether their classmates were even aware of the disease. Without further ado, they conducted a survey among friends with the question: What is depression? The answers were sobering. Many said you were sad now and then. “It was generally described more as a mood than as an illness,” says Julian Chariatte.
Depression is often still a taboo subject
The two found out that many have a wrong conception of the disease. “It shocked us,” says Dominik Müller. After this survey, it was clear to both of them that they wanted to provide information. “We were of the opinion that it is important for those affected to show people how deep the disease is not only for them, but also for those around them,” says Müller.
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The subject of depression is often a taboo among canton students. “It’s a sensitive topic that nobody really wants to talk about,” says Dominik Müller. For example, if someone does not show up in class because of this, they are only told that that person is absent because of depression. It will stick to this statement and it will not be discussed further. “The schools should deal with the topic more openly,” says Müller.
“The class teacher in particular,” adds Julian Chariatte. In contrast to other schools, the Baden Cantonal School is already taking a step in this right direction with its “an open ear” program. As part of this program, students who are not yet ready to see a psychologist can speak anonymously to an outside person.
An artistic short film with documentary aspects
“We made a conscious decision to use the film form,” says Müller. The 19-year-old often films in his spare time and therefore knows how a film has to be structured in order to make an impression. “Only with the music that we have built in can you reach the audience much more than would have been the case with a text.” The film is also aimed mainly at younger people. “We know that our generation is more attracted to a film than to a text,” says Chariatte.
After around eight months, the finished film can now be viewed on the YouTube video platform. It is an artistic short film with documentary aspects. At the center of the film is a young woman who describes how the disease has taken over her more and more. You encounter many natural scenes, fantastic elements and musical interludes that visualize the feelings of the person and make them easier to understand. With the approximately eight-minute film, the two canton students want to trigger an “aha moment” in the audience.
They want it to be understood that depression is not just a state of mind, it is an illness. At the end of the film, a message appears with the text «You can make a difference. Find the conversation. ” This is supposed to be the main message of the film. «It doesn’t matter which side you are on. Whether you are affected yourself or as an outsider notices that someone is affected, you should seek a conversation, ”says Müller.
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