Coping

The debut short film by Oddly Optimistic Pictures, written and directed by Tom Murphy and starring himself, Alex McGonagle, Michelle Taylor and John O'Gorman.

The opening title card explains that this film depicts fictional characters with stories that were inspired by people who perform certain actions and that the goal is to acknowledge and normalise these actions that are done for comfort.

This six-minute-long short is structured as a documentary and is divided into three parts, each of which concentrates on a character who has adopted a specific activity that they repeatedly perform in order to hopefully find some form of solace. These individuals are played by McGonagle, Taylor and O'Gorman and each of them are apparently interviewed inside their homes and they talk about their chosen special activity.

McGonagle's character tends to pick up a pen or a pencil or a pen and repeatedly drop it on a surface, before picking it up again and doing the same again and again. Taylor's has a habit (or perhaps enjoys) sitting in a revolving chair and spinning, while O'Gorman's records messages on his phone, utilising his own voice, and creating messages for himself for a variety of reasons, including reminders and self-encouragement. By having these characters and their treasured actions present, this film develops an image of why some people choose to repeatedly perform some actions that could be perceived as unusual.

Why do some individuals do these activities that involve repetition? According to this film's content, it is for a number of reasons. For instance, it could be comfort, for self-esteem, in order to remember things, because it provides them with freedom, joy, it helps them relieve stress and it can also be some kind of goal, an achievement.

By focusing on people who execute such doings, this short serves as a commentary about issues concerning mental health, including low self-esteem, anxiety and stress.

Taking under consideration that the director has suffered from depression and anxiety and most of the crew have experienced neurodiverse diagnosis, this makes this film a personal project and it raises awareness of mental health problems. Furthermore, viewers who perform actions similar to the ones described in this review will most likely identify with the characters.