Films & Events
My Suicide
Winner SIFF 2009 Youth Jury Award for Best FutureWave Feature
Jury Statement: For its ability to bring an issue clouded by controversy bravely into focus for a breadth of audiences through exceptional editing and organic character progression.
“My name is Archibald Williams and I’m going to kill myself.” Archie, a 17-year-old media student announces that his final school video project will be filming his own suicide. As teachers sound the alarm, calling in shrinks and threatening expulsion, students around the school are alternately repelled by and attracted to Archie as he captures his own postmodern “Catcher in the Rye.” Archie’s video diary of the circus surrounding his announcement exposes the truths of life, which include death, sex, violence, drugs, and the hypocrisy of the modern media, which assaults all teens. Director David Lee Miller spent four years working with his son Jordan and lead actor Gabriel Sunday to create this affecting portrait, which authentically addresses the epidemic of teen suicide. The performances from the young cast are flawless, setting the foundation for My Suicide to celebrate and question Generation YouTube with its calibrated commentary of manipulated footage, animation, and 1950s-styled PSAs. Miller’s film is a lightning bolt into a hot topic that struggles to be understood. Through his command of the variety of media used by teens, he has crafted a film that will be a part of the discussion for years to come.
Winner of the Berlin Film Festival Generation Plus Crystal Bear, GenArt Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award and Acting Award, and Newport Beach Best Film Award. Featuring music by Rocky Votolato, recommended for ages 17+ (contains brief nudity, language, and disturbing images). Actor Gabriel Sunday expected to attend both screenings
Sponsor:
City Arts Magazine
Cast & Crew
Director: David Lee Miller
Producer: David Lee Miller, Larry Janss, Todd Traina, Eric J. Adams
Editor: Gabriel Sunday, Jordan Miller
Screenwriter: David Lee Miller, Eric J. Adams, Gabriel Sunday, Jordan J. Miller
Cinematographer: Lisa Wiegand, Angie Hill
Awards: Berlin (Generation+ Best Film) Gen Arts (Jury, Actor, Audience Award), Newport Beach (Best Film)
Music: Tim Kasher
Principal Cast: Gabriel Sunday, Brooke Nevin, David Carradine, Mariel Hemingway, Joe Mantegna
Filmography: Breakfast of Aliens (1993)
World Sales: Endeavor
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(5 reviews)
user reviews
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My Suicide, May 14, 2009
By Greg Senger
“Saw this film in Austin at SXSW. It was a awsome piece of work, looking forward to seeing it again.”
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My Suicide, May 17, 2009
By Jeff Cavanaugh
“This film will not be to everyone's liking. This film was made for the ADD/MTV generation, with lightning-quick-cut editing, video collage, snarky animation, and loads of topical teen angst. But since there's a smart story behind all the wham-bang visual crack, this film unexpectedly works. ”
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Style AND Substance!, May 28, 2009
By Mimi Noyes
“This film is BRILLIANT. Go see it. It is a fifteen-second attention span theater event, an ADD-MTV acid trip through one young man’s mind, or rather movie, as he makes his final project for his high school film class – a film which will culminate with his on-screen suicide. We are dunked head first”
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Impressive, memorable, special, Jun 12, 2009
By Zheng Wang
“The early part of this movie is an explosion of disturbing imagery, mixed-style animation, and profanity-laiden narration. If that sounds like MTV-generation stupidity, which I usually don't care for, know that it was all done so deliberately and creatively that it actually worked really well. The”
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One of a kind, Jun 13, 2009
By Anais Vitalis
“I really enjoyed this film. The storyline was profound and not as predictable as movies like this tend to be, and instead of drowning the substance, the "MTV/ADD generation" editing really emphasized it. I really recommend this for all ages. As Gabriel Sunday said afterward during the Q&A, if you”
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