Applying a 2019 lens to portrayals of suicide in film

Everymind Suicide Prevention Project Lead, Sara Bartlett recently spoke with Blake Howard, host of One HEAT Minute Podcast to discuss Michael Mann’s 1995 film HEAT and the importance of safe portrayals of suicide in film.

The One HEAT Minute podcast examines the crime saga HEAT, focusing on the film, minute by minute. Each podcast episode features a different theme from the film and an expert in the field to help un-pack and discuss the prevalent themes and scenario.

Mindframe, an initiative of Everymind is a national program supporting safe media reporting, portrayal and communication about suicide, mental ill-health and alcohol and other drugs.

For this reason, Mindframe was approached to join the podcast series to discuss the 143rd minute of the film, a problematic suicide attempt scene and provide perspective on the scene based on our extensive work with the stage and screen industry.

In the episode, Ms Bartlett highlights the work of Mindframe in supporting the Australian stage and screen industry to develop safe portrayals of suicide and self-harm and the steps taken to protect Australian audiences consuming such content.

“For more than two decades Mindframe has been working with stage and screen professionals to include authentic and original portrayals of suicide and mental ill-health that are sensitive and accurate,” said Ms Bartlett

“Dramatised portrayals of suicide in entertainment media can have a significant impact on vulnerable audiences, leading to the perpetuation of stigma, copy-cat behaviour and a decrease in help-seeking.”

Throughout the interview there is discussion on the portrayal of the suicide attempt in the film, what makes the scene ‘unsafe’ and what scriptwriters and producers are doing differently 24 years after HEAT was released, with the advice of Mindframe.

For access to the full podcast, please visit: https://oneheatminute.com/podcast/one-heat-minute-episode-143
For help-seeking resources and crisis support numbers please visit: https://mindframe.org.au/need-help