A suicide bereavement charity has released a groundbreaking short film which explores suicide loss from the perspective of the bereaved.
Suicide&Co, a south west London based charity, collaborated with executive producer Will Castle to create Heirlooms.
The seven-minute film, inspired by Castle’s own personal experiences, depicts the grief journey of Bear, a man dealing with the legacy of his father’s suicide and finding support and healing.
Suicide&Co, founded in 2020, specialises in support for those struggling with bereavement from suicide through free one-to-one counselling sessions, a helpline and an app offering mental health exercises.
Founder, Amelia Wrighton, believes it was important for Heirlooms to encourage those bereaved to seek support and tell a story featuring emotional challenges they can relate to.
She said: “It felt really unique. Most of what we see around the topic of suicide is around the shock of somebody dying and the devastation in the immediate aftermath, not the ongoing grieving process that people have to navigate for the months and years to come.”
West Ham United have backed the project, sharing the short film across their social media channels and amassing over one million views across platforms.
In the UK, over 36,000 people are bereaved from suicide loss each year. Losing a loved one to suicide increases the risk of suicidal thoughts, continuing cycles of grief and trauma.
Castle, who fundraised £20,000 to produce the film, crafted Heirlooms by drawing upon his own grief journey, his battle with suffering in silence and the societal stigma that those bereaved face as a barrier to seeking support.
Castle lost his father, Paul, to suicide in 2010 and one decade on, has become a tireless suicide prevention and mental health advocate.
He raised over £25,000 for Movember across three years and was the country’s largest single fundraiser for the platform in 2020.
He said: “For years, I tried to ignore the pain but since becoming a father myself, I’ve found myself starting to confront the grief that I’ve built up and I’ve opened up about its impact.
“Our society doesn’t have the systems in place to properly support those affected by suicide loss.
“Heirlooms is a way to start that conversation and bring attention to this issue.”
The film was launched with a premiere at the Curzon in Soho on the 12 February with a sold-out audience of 250 in attendance.
Wrighton described the premiere as one of the most surprising days in her time leading Suicide&Co.
She said: “It was a surprising feeling, which I didn’t think I was going to have. I was looking at so many faces, feeling quite overwhelmed.
“250 people is less than our current client caseload at any one time. I don’t think the employee team of ten feels the vast, vast impact we are having.”
Despite the success of the film, Wrighton believes that there is still much work to be done to tackle the stigma that sufferers of suicide bereavement face.
She emphasised: “The reality is, there are still far too many conversations happening between individuals where stigma is blocking them from properly talking.”
If you or someone you know are suffering from suicide bereavement, Suicide&Co can be reached by calling 0800 054 8400 and their support services can be found here
Picture credit: Will Castle
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