Why Wouldn't I Be?

An insight into the life of a quiet and socially isolated teenager.

Schoolboy Jack (Collett) lives with his mother (Berrington). He has not been himself lately and people around him have noticed that. He has been rather distant and silent and has been skipping school. When his mum, friend (Nyuot) and a welfare officer (Reynolds) reach out to him, he claims that all is well and that they should not be worried. However, it is apparent that Jack is struggling with inner issues.

This short drama was made in favour of the mental health charity HUMEN, whose goal is to encourage men to communicate their feelings so that they do not suffer in silence. The film does a good job in supporting this organisation by presenting a youth who has cut himself off from the world and by doing so he does not achieve anything apart from making things worse for himself. The audience can feel the loneliness and isolation that the hero is experiencing and it is clear that he needs help in order to deal with his inner problems.

Jack's mother, friend and the welfare officer seem to respresent three aspects of his social life that he distances himself from, those being family, friends and other acquaintances such as people at school. All by himself, he appears to be going deeper and deeper into a dark place.

All of the protagonists deliver very strong and emotional performances. Collett does an amazing job as a troubled young man who is dealing with internal problems but is not open about them, constantly pretending that everything is fine and is suffering as a result. He rejects opportunities to connect with others and whenever he feels that he is under pressure, he becomes aggressive.

Xenia Patricia develops beautiful cinematography and composer Gaby Ambler creates a dramatic score that adds significant power to the scenes.

This is a moving story that raises awareness about mental health issues. It explores how people can suffer by hiding their problems and it points out that they can make things better for themselves if they seek help.