Ep 072: Youth and Suicide in American Cinema

Our co-host, Heather had the pleasure of interviewing sociologist and artist Alessandra Seggi about her latest book Youth and Suicide in American Cinema: Context, Causes, and Consequences. Alessandra is a Fulbright grantee with a PhD in Sociology and MA in Media Studies and the analysis in her book is both a personal and professional reflection on suicide in film.

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Youth and suicide in American Cinema is about the portrayal of suicide in youth films covering both studio-driven and independent cinema from 1900 to 2019. It aims to understand such portrayals by offering a proactive approach via a media literacy strategy for engaged audiences in order for them to interpret these portrayals. Ultimately, via their thorough analysis, films become the much-needed buffer that allows people to gain enough distance from suicide and suicidal behavior to actually talk about it, and via this interview, Alessandra gives guidance to filmmakers on how to better portray this often stigmatized topic.

Content Warning: This episode deals with death, suicide, suicidal behaviors, and their portrayals

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Music: Deppisch
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ABOUT OUR GUEST

A Fulbright grantee and an award-winning artist, Alessandra Seggi (PhD in Sociology and MA in Media Studies) works at the intersection of the Social Sciences and media. In addition to “Youth and Suicide in American Cinema: Context, Causes, and Consequences” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022), she has published other articles about the portrayal of suicide in film; among them, “Para/texts for the movie ‘Archie’s Final Project:’ navigating stigma and profit imperatives to discuss suicide and human connections” and “The complexities of the documentary ‘The Bridge’ as heterotopia,” in the “Suicide in Popular Media and Culture” anthology (Bristol University Press, forthcoming).

A documentary titled “In Light of the Darkness,” based on her book, is in pre-production. Half animated memoir and half academic argument, this innovative film visualizes the urgency of a carefully crafted media literacy strategy to empower young people when watching movies.

Alessandra is also the creator, organizer and moderator of the speaker series “Systemic Issues Around Youth and Suicide,” as well as the creator, organizer and facilitator of the film series “Cinema with a Social Conscience: Italian Neorealism,” at Villanova University (Villanova, PA, USA), where she teaches. “Sociology of Film,” “Sociology of Violence,” and “Cinema with a Social Conscience: Italian Neorealism” are among her most innovative courses.
Tentatively titled “It’s a zoo: society illustrated. With rhymes and reasons,” her latest one-of-a-kind project (in search of a literary agent) combines traditional write-ups with rhymes and illustrations to explain the contradictions and mechanisms, at times in plain sight, at times hidden, integral to our social world.

About Youth and Suicide in American Cinema: Context, Causes, and Consequences: This book explores the depiction of suicide in American youth films from 1900 to 2019. Anchored in Sociology, this multidisciplinary study investigates the causes and consequences of suicide and uncovers the socio-cultural context for the development of youth, film, and suicide. While such cinematic portrayals seem to privilege external explanations of suicide versus internal or psychological ones, overall they are neither rich nor sensitive. Most are simplistic, limited or at the very least unbalanced. At times, they are flatly controversial. In light of this overall problematic depiction of suicide, this book offers a proactive approach to empower young audiences—a media literacy strategy to embrace while watching these films.

LINKS

Website: https://www.alessandraseggi.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandra-seggi/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AleSeggiPhD

RESOURCES in CANADA

From the Canadian Association for Suicide Prévention-Association Canadienne pour la Prevention du Suicide website https://suicideprevention.ca/resources/#support-services

If you are in Canada and you’re in crisis or worried about someone who is, you can call or text 9-8-8, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Bilingual, trauma-informed, and culturally appropriate suicide prevention support. What to expect when you call/text?

If you are under the age of 18 you can also contact, Kids Help Phone offers 24/7 text service that does not need a data plan, internet connection or an app to use it. Text CONNECT or call 1-800-668-6868.

For Indigenous Peoples: Hope for Wellness provide immediate non-judgemental, culturally competent, trauma-informed emotional support, crisis intervention, or referrals to community-based services. Call 1-855-242-3310 or go to their website for chat services.

The National Farmer Crisis Line (1-866-FARMS01) offers free, immediate, and ag-informed crisis support for farmers, farm families, and agricultural workers across Canada.

The services listed in this directory provide suicide crisis services, suicide bereavement support, and mental health support. The directory is made available by CASP as a public service only. CASP does not provide oversight, recommendations, endorsement, or financial support for groups listed in the directory.

Services in Quebec that offer both French and English are on this list. For additional services in Quebec offered only in French, please refer to our French website.

We recommend you do the search by province. The address on the map is the head office address of the organization but their services might be provided throughout the province. Choose the province from the ALL LOCATIONS drop down box and click Apply.

To search by keyword or name, place the keyword (for example, BEREAVEMENT) in the search box and click Apply. (Do not click on the magnifying glass icon.)