Le Mal de vivre

Every day in Finland alone, two people commit suicide. Thousands of people are affected by suicide yearly. Once I Dreamt of Life is a feature length documentary film about suicide — subject that people rarely want to talk about. It’s an account about one’s personal relation to suicide, but also studies suicide as social phenomena: What are the motives, warning signs and consequences?
The film follows the journey of a young man, an animated character based on a real person, on his path towards suicide. The journey is described by people who’ve had encounters with suicide – parents who lost their child, young adults who considered or even tried committing suicide.
When linked together, these experiences offer a collage of our perception of suicide. They are full of pain, sorrow, and guilt, but they also tell about how people cope with the past and find a reason to go on with their lives. The intention is not to romanticize suicide or judge. It encourages people to talk about painful and difficult experiences and reminds us how important it is to be heard.