At this point Mental Filmness has been going long enough that I feel like there’s a sort of “template” to some of the films I see over and over again, a conventional story arc to a mental health film, if there even is such a thing. One of them is “Character A wants to kill themselves. They call a hotline, or otherwise take a step toward their plan, but it goes wrong. They randomly happen upon the benevolent Character B, a wise, therapeutic, and redeeming figure who changes their mind.”
I don’t know how many films I have seen that follow that particular plot line at this point, and Hotline sort of follows it, too. We all know, though, that a movie is made out of much more than plot, otherwise we would have run out of movies long ago. Hotline takes a humorous approach to this topic, which is rarer, and it pokes fun at the bureaucratic red tape that creates a barrier in suicide hotlines, and by extension to receiving mental health care in general. Hotline also discusses imposter syndrome and the pressure of success and the resultant anxiety among overachieving college students, which is becoming a much more widely acknowledged social phenomenon.
What I loved the most about this film is that it was made by Julia Veith, a junior at Stanford University, partly to address underfunded mental health resources on college campuses. I know there are some who might actually disagree with me, but I think it is important to show that mental health does not necessarily discriminate by social or economic class. I’ve also always like to shine a spotlight on young filmmakers who tackle a specific mental health issue that is important to them, even if the film is a little rough and unpolished in some ways. I feel like that supports the mission of the festival—it may not always feel slick, but it feels real.
You can watch Hotline for FREE in Shorts Block No. 4 of the virtual festival through 11/3: https://watch.eventive.org/mentalfilmness2024/play/67020e1b7520fd00560960a7
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