Sad People Factory (2014)

Depression: Out of the Shadows

This PBS documentary explores depression, a debilitating disease that affects millions of Americans. Touching the lives of people from diverse backgrounds, depression still carries a stigma that causes some sufferers to go without treatment. Real people with depression talk about their experiences, and scientists offer commentary to shed light on the disease, including its diagnosis, treatment and current research.

Fragility

"You are suffering from a mental fragility,” the doctor tells Ahang as she desperately tries to understand why she sometimes feels so terribly sad, as though everything has fallen apart. From the outside, she seems to live a sound and good life. For periods of time everything feels really good. But then it hits her: that horrific panic and despair that destroys everything and presses her down into a deep black hole.

This Is Sparklehorse

An comprehensive look at the life and music of Mark Linkous, a influential figure in the alternative music scene. A dramatic life that saw him battle with dependency, paralysis, and mental illness that resulted in his eventual suicide.

Voices at the End of the Line

A group of authentic voicemail messages to Alex over the past 5 years from various friends and family members. It is a poetic lattice weaved with mesmeric audiovisuals, presenting the isolating effects of an ever growing digital world.

This Is Sparklehorse

An comprehensive look at the life and music of Mark Linkous, a influential figure in the alternative music scene. Critically-acclaimed Linkous had a dramatic life that saw him battle with drug and alcohol addiction, paralysis, and debilitating depression that resulted in his eventual suicide. Mark's music was heralded by his peers and critics; a mix of delicate pop, discordant punk and melodic odyssey; it has been described as defiantly surrealist with all manner of references to smiling babies, organ music, birds, and celestial bodies. The film mines Marks life and music and navigates the sacrifices and highs and lows of his art.

Gothix

STREAMING ON LOOR TV. Vanessa Rosa was a uniquely entertaining and innovative streamer on the platform of Twitch, known to her audience as "Gothix." A beloved member of the streaming world, she was suddenly exiled from her community of creative partners and colleagues when she stated an opinion that she did not know was "unacceptable" in their eyes. "GOTHIX" tells the story of her rise to notoriety, her fall into hopelessness, and the truths she discovered at the bottom.

Rocks in My Pockets

The personal story of a woman struggling with an inherited illness, as told by Signe Baumane, the Latvian director-animator living in New York City. With humour and courage, the director sets out on a challenging journey to discover her family’s best-kept secret. Featuring five stories about the courageous women in Signe’s family and their battles with madness, visual metaphors, surreal images and director’s narration.

Dosed

The documentary follows one woman's quest to overcome anxiety, depression, and opioid addiction through the use of psychedelic medicines.

Le clown est triste

This documentary attempts to understand why so many comedians experience mental health issues, a condition that stands in stark contrast to their profession. Anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts: these are the heavy subjects they dare to tackle on stage. Cathy Gauthier, Coco Belliveau, Jean-François Mercier, Mario Jean, Maude Landry, Preach and Simon Gouache testify.

Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days

Marilyn Monroe's final project, "Something's Got to Give", has become one of the most talked about unfinished films in history. The story of the film and Marilyn's last days were seemingly lost… until now. Through interviews, never-before-seen footage and an edited reconstruction of "Something's Got to Give", Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days provides a definitive and fascinating look at the last act in the life of the world's most famous and tragic superstar.

Louis Theroux: America's Medicated Kids

Faced with the challenging behaviour of their kids, more and more parents in America are turning to psychoactive medication to help them cope, even though the drugs, and sometimes the diagnoses, remain controversial. Louis travels to one of America's leading children's psychiatric treatment centres, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to get to know the diagnosed children and hoping to understand what drives parents to put their kids on drugs.

Gloom

An ambient representation of depression with a slowly fading score building towards an uncertain climax.

Your Mum and Dad

The film follows Michael Moskowitz’s work with a New York-based therapist named Kirkland Vaughns, one of the few African-American Freudian therapists in the United States, while the director reveals her own family’s devastating trauma.

The Dark Gene

The film tells a very personal story from two perspectives: our protagonist is both doctor and patient. As a patient, he has struggled with recurring depression for years, and as a doctor he wants to find out why. The search for the origins of his illness leads him into the realm of his own genes and casts light on the fundamental changes facing modern society as a result of the tremendous progress being made in the field of genetic sequencing. Along the way, he meets a host of people – researchers, artists, visionaries – who have developed their own very individual approach to genetic coding and are drawing attention to the social significance of genetic technology. The film does not restrict itself to a scientific view of the subject but also makes use of artistic visions and more playful approaches to genetic blueprints.

Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine

An intimate portrait of Matthew Shepard, the gay young man murdered in one of the most notorious hate crimes in U.S. history. Framed through a personal lens, it's the story of loss, love, and courage in the face of unspeakable tragedy.

The Last Shaman

James, giving himself 12 months before he has "a license to kill himself," sets off to the Amazon rainforest with hopes of finding a shaman who can save his life.

Circus

We all carry hell with us. The filmmaker’s hell exists on a canvas, which he studied carefully in childhood. The mystical picture has many names: Circus, Hell, Game at the Arena. Decades later he finds the painting again. The film unravels as loose ponderings about the plight of being an artist and touches upon the filmmaker’s personal demons. Can he see the painting in a new light?

Happy Android

Street performer Paul Cooper has an unlikely ally in his ongoing battle with anxiety and depression - his robot, Tubby.

Diana: In Her Own Words

Using home videos recorded by her voice coach, Diana takes us through the story of her life.

Endless Bullying - The Story of Maryana

In the KRO-NCRV documentary Endless Bullying - The Story of Maryana we see the story of Maryana who no longer wanted to live because the bullying became unbearable for her. Based on stories from her family, teachers, friends and classmates, we get an idea of ​​who Maryana was and what kept her busy. All relatives have the same message: let's learn from this and ensure that this does not happen again in the future.

The Show Must Go On

The Show Must Go On is a personal journey behind the scenes that confronts the epidemic of mental health issues in the Australian entertainment industry.

A Carta

Plot unavailable

My Depression (The Up and Down and Up of It)

Based on Elizabeth Swados’ picture book of the same name, this animated short film charts one woman's struggle with depression.

Generation C

Due to the measures taken by the government, students have fewer and fewer prospects for a meaningful future. Life is on pause and society is kept in fear. The confidence in a bright future is gone. Even after 18 months, there is still no light at the end of the tunnel. The many promises have not yet changed this situation. In this moving documentary, young people give an idea of the impact of the measures on their lives. Is there still hope or has the damage already been done?

The Distraction

A short form exploration of the very visceral and disorienting world of living with severe anxiety and depression, the world’s biggest health problem.

The Thinnest Line

A fist-person story of the director of the documentary, who talks about the loneliness that entails living with an eating disorder and her vision now thar she is entering into adulthood.

Eyebrow

A documentary crew films a young man, whose eyebrow started thinning a year ago, trying to reflect on everything in his life as he is having traumatic day to day experiences in which he is a victim of social exclusion.

The Conquerors

A newlywed couple journeys west to make their fortune, and begins a banking empire.

March Fool

Struggling with depression, Louis finds out that his family is planning a prank on him for April Fools' day. Problem is: we're still in March...