This Man’s Worth is available as part of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival
Very occasionally there’s a need to give a trigger warning about what topic might come up during a review of a movie, basically a way to tell the reader ahead of time if a subject is involved that might create a mental health crisis. It’s often quick and simple and a way for you to click away but this time I have to say that while this review and this documentary deals with Suicide and if that’s triggering to you that you should absolutely avoid it, this is also a documentary about suicide that specifically requires people who might have such problems to hear its message. Basically, if you think you might be OK, it’s worth giving This Man’s Worth a try but if not… well, there’s the trigger warning.
This Man’s Worth tells a story about male suicide, which is the most common form of suicide in almost every country on the planet. While its focus is on the stories of three specific men who have dealt with suicide before, two who were unsuccessful and one who tragically was successful, its broader discussion is on why this even happens at all and ways that it can be prevented. Throughout the brief runtime, This Man’s Worth alternates seamlessly between the deeply personal and the broader societal implications and what can actually be done by the average person to try to prevent this.
In under an hour, This Man’s Worth manages to hammer home its message so bluntly and powerfully that it feels like an emotional gut punch, demanding that you pay attention and do something. It’s polite about it, it’s not turning to camera and screaming “Do something assholes!” but the intent is clear and it makes it compelling. The people involved in this are opening themselves up in ways that no one should ever have to, talking about fathers who took their own lives or a personal suicide attempt that was thwarted by pure luck in ways that are so deeply personal that it’s honestly heartbreaking.
Mixed between these personal stories are the facts about suicide and suicide prevention that people need to hear, told by experts and even some of the people who are telling us the deeply personal stories. It’s informative and truly helpful for them to lay out the signs of what to look for, explain how to talk about this subject and push people to being able to help. This is absolutely one of the hardest conversations that a person could have and hearing things like “you don’t need to be a professional to help” is important because it might mean someone spots a sign of something they might be afraid to speak up and it’s nice to have that encouragement.
There’s a ton of compassion mixed in with the powerful honesty, there’s no hiding away from the truth of the situation and no one puts on kid gloves to talk about it. They let the facts speak for themselves while also creating this intense connection with the audience. We’re being let in on the darkest moments of these people’s lives in hopes that maybe it might be a catalyst for change in the future and that’s undeniably powerful – and all in under an hour.
This Man’s Worth is worth its weight in gold, a powerful emotional heart to heart talk about a subject that most shy away from out of fear. With the limited time it has it makes its point clearly as humanly possible with powerful personal stories to bolster it’s important message. It isn’t being subtle about a damn thing, it just wants to help and do what’s right and it does that absolutely spectacularly.
Movie Meister Reviews 