We’ll be delving more into the youth in mental health shorts block now, which includes One Less Lonely Ghost. A short film by the young Madison Marie Timm about a college student who loses her friend to suicide, One Less Lonely Ghost has more going for it than just a great title. It’s based on, and feels like, a very personal experience, with the main character acting just how someone who has lost their best friend to suicide would act. Being too shocked or embarrassed to immediately tell others what happened may not seem logical, for instance, but it’s emotionally accurate. So much of this film seemed painfully true to the process of suicide loss grief, including using the Internet to look up possible drugstore ingredients for your own planned suicide–and then deciding not to follow through.
As you may have guessed from the title, this film ends on a hopeful note. The decision to live doesn’t feel trite or wrapped in a bow so much as a deliberate and difficult decision to change the narrative in the way that is still possible to do. It is a wise film for someone so young, and touches upon the vital topic of suicide among teens and young adults with great empathy and sensitivity.
You can watch One Less Lonely Ghost for free NOW in Shorts Block No. 4 (Youth In Mental Health): One Less Lonely Ghost | Mental Filmness 2025
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