Browse Films

A suicide attempt is made every minute in the United States - every 17 minutes, one of those attempts is fatal. Over five million people alive today have made a suicide attempt at some point in their lives. This inspiring and uplifting documentary is told from the point of view of six people, ages 21 to 73, of different ethnic backgrounds and life circumstances who stepped back from the brink of suicide. We meet John, a retired physician who longs to join his beloved wife after she dies of cancer; Heather, a young lesbian who faces the scorn of her family for her sexual orientation; Luis, a Mexican-American drawn to the "collective suicide" of gang violence; Pamela, a corporate saleswoman addicted to risky behavior; Chris, a Native American shunned by his family for being a victim of incest; and Debra, an African-American woman who turns to drugs and alcohol after being raped as a teenager and later abused by the husband she hoped would save her. In candid interviews, they examine the circumstances that led to their despair, the forces that pulled them back from the brink, and the methods of healing they discovered including: therapy, support groups, spirituality, and artistic expression. Weaving their intimate stories together with expressive black and white imagery, this provocative film offers a life-affirming look at this often taboo subject.

...first class documentary filmmaking that serves as an excellent teaching tool...powerful, poignant, technically excellent and brings questions about meaning, healing and helping into clear focus.
Prof. Tobin Hart
The Humanist Psychologist

This excellent documentary...provides valuable insight into the will to live...recommended for university courses, counseling personnel, community groups, and general audiences.
Library Journal

...strongly recommended to anyone concerned with this urgent national problem.
Video Librarian

Deeply moving...excellent production values...recommended strongly for health sciences collections.
MC Journal
The Journal of Academic Media Librarianship

An inspiring look at lives brought back from the brink.
Booklist

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AWARDS & SCREENINGS:

• PBS broadcast
• Silver Apple Award, National Educational Media Network
• Outstanding Documentary Award, Western Psychological Association Convention
• Elda Hartley Film Award, Institute of Noetic Sciences
• American Association of Suicidology Conference
• American Sociological Association Annual Meeting
• National Council of Social Studies Conference
• Suicide: Prevention and Early Intervention Conference
• Spirit in Healing Conference

Resource Web Sites

American Foundation of Suicide Prevention

Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network

San Francisco Suicide Prevention