Suicide isn’t an easy topic to tackle, nor is it one that should ever be regarded in a flippant manner. There have been many films which contain it as a theme; some work, some don’t, but its important that it remains something strongly discussed and strongly represented within our media because it is, sadly, something that affects a great many of us in some capacity or another. Irish director Graham Jones has just released his new film Davin, and it is as direct a production can be on the subject of suicide. Being his fifth film, Davin is quite the oddity at first glance. Entirely animated, the film’s aesthetic is that of continuous head-shots that have been actually filmed with the coloring glossed over them to create an almost surreal uniformity to each talking head. There’s no question that the subject of the film is more important than how it was made, why it was made, or even the strength of the performances, and the presentation not only proves to make you aware of that, but share in it, and become enveloped in how the message is being purveyed.
Set entirely between various cars, Davin follows a group of people en route to a funeral. This group of people are, as we swiftly learn, directly related, in one way or another, to the deceased, the title’s Davin, who has apparently killed himself in a car crash. From the early scenes, there’s a gravitas that very quickly makes it ways outwards, commanding your attention and demanding you pay heed to what’s being said. Friends, family members, all combined in a common loss of a well-remembered loved one whose conversation and stream of thought creates a complex image of the man Davin was, and who he’ll continue to be in their memory.
While the cinematography is a touch jarring, almost bland to being with, perseverance with the dialog draws you into the same stream of thought being emulated by the film’s ‘story.’ By the end, as Graham himself points out in an interview, you feel like you know Davin a little bit, even though there’s never any deep exploration of him or what exactly he was thinking at the time of his incident.
Most striking of all, however, is the distinct lack of catharsis this piece offers. The characters debate amongst themselves how they feel regarding losing a loved one in such a manner, and how they themselves may have something in common with how he may have been feeling, and how they feel finding this information out about each other. The discussion is respectful, deep and challenging and doesn’t have that air of ‘suicide is not the answer’ that can sometimes mar how the topic is represented; instead, they deal with suicide like the reality it is and discuss it like the horrific fact of life we live with. Graham and his cast have created a very simple piece of work here that very deeply explores a very particular part of what is a very important issue. Given the circumstances in pop culture, his timing could have been horrendous, instead its right on cue. A well spent 90 minutes.
The full film can be viewed here.
