Therapy

Therapy is a scene written as part of a comedy-drama pilot that writer and director Neil Crittenden worked as a short film. The plot follows the couple Chris and Bex as they see a counsellor and discuss Chris’ drinking problems and suicide attempt. After an emotional account of events, where Chris opens up about his mental health and the lack of attention he has been giving to his son, we realise that Bex was never there. Chris is actually discussing his grief and the impact of his loss, whilst audiences were previously able to visualise the person he misses and yearns for.

The plot of this short film is easy to follow, with lots of strong dialogue throughout. Despite it being somewhat simplistic in its nature, the narrative is hard to engage with as the performances are not always strong or believable. The continuity error of the counsellor suddenly having glasses on when the shot returns to his focus may evict audiences further out of the story if noticed. Another noticeable issue is the allusion to Bex not being at this appointment; this effect seems out of place and lacking power.

The twist of seeing how someone who is no longer alive may respond to what is going on currently in the present is very interesting. The shock of her absence can hook viewers in as the stripped-back short reveals deeper layers through this surprise. Despite character Bex passing, we can resonate with her warmth and affection from seeing her in the film. This allows viewers to sympathise with the protagonist, Chris, as we understand who he is missing.

Despite some technical disadvantages, I applaud the filmmaker for using what was available to them and following their vision through. The scriptwriting, which promotes the emotional vulnerability of the character Chris, is powerful, with the project adding to the very vital media representation of topics like grief, addiction and mental health.