The Depression Club

The Depression Club
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Daniël Jaco
Screenplay by	Daniël Jaco Pieter Strauss Eddie van de Merwe
Starring	Ashton Lynes Pieter Dunbarr Elijah Larkins Molly Mitchell Anthony Dry
Cinematography	Ruan de Villiers-Breybach
Music by	John Macklroy
Production company	SBC
Distributed by	SBC
Release dates	24 October 2023 (2023-October-24) (Montecara Film Festival)
Running time	84 minutes
Country	Satavia
Language	Estmerish
Budget	€1 million

The Depression Club (stylised as thedepressionclub) is a 2023 Satavian television psychological drama directed and produced by Daniël Jaco and featuring an ensemble cast of Satavian actors. The film focuses on the lives of several unrelated individuals, brought together by attendance at a peer-led mutual aid group for people suffering with depression. The film examines themes of anxiety, depression, self-harm, substance abuse, suicide and other social issues.

The film was a production of the Satavian Broadcasting Corporation. It received funding from the SBC, National Lottery, as well as from various charities aimed at suicide prevention and intervention. The film was created to increase public awareness about Satavia's "silent epidemic", which has seen the suicide rate in Satavia rise to 20.1 (approximately double the global average), giving Satavia the highest suicide rate in the Asterias and the 13th highest in the world. In particular, Jaco stated the film was aimed at young men who are disproportionately affected by suicide. The film premiered at the Montecara Film Festival in October 2023 and was first aired on Satavian television on 3 November. Due to its themes and mature content , the film was awarded an age classification of 18 in Satavia and was consequently shown after watershed on SBC 1. Additionally, the SBC broadcast the film with an added disclaimer warning that it contained "extremely distressing and graphic scenes".

Plot

The film opens during a tropical storm; we see Tom Shaw (Ashton Lynes), a handsome, dishevelled, 20-year old, walking hurriedly. As he walks through the streets, people around him rush to escape the rain; prominently featured is an advertisement warning of bulimia in teenage girls, which then swaps to a Top Dog advert depicting a teenage girl eating a large combination meal. As he approaches a derelict warehouse, he stops and takes a breath before pushing the door open and entering. The room is poorly lit and laid out with plastic deck chairs. Tom exchanges glances with the others in the room, before The Therapist (Edouard Florence) asks everyone to be seated and beckons for Tom to introduce himself. As Tom speaks, we see his childhood memories; we see Young Tom Shaw (Phoenix Turner) at school where he is a member of the First XV rugby team and obviously popular, but struggles academically. As he returns home we see his father, who is under the influence of drugs, physically abusing his mother and then turning his anger on Young Tom Shaw. Tom Shaw remembers how he was set-up for a promising rugby career; he signs a professional contract on his 18th birthday and goes out to celebrate. Whilst drunk, he gets into a physical fight with his father, before stealing his father's car and crashes into another vehicle on a bridge. He remembers stumbling out of the car, and otherwise reveals nothing further.

The camera now pans to the man seated next to Tom Shaw; 39 year old, Carter Arnold (Pieter Dunbarr). Arnold talks and reminisces of his childhood; we see Young Carter Arnold (Dane Coles) excel at school work and grow up in a privileged and loving background, attending a private school. He marries his childhood sweetheart, and with her has two daughters. He rises through the ranks of the law firm he works at and is already a Senior Partner. We see Arnold, his wife and two children celebrating his daughter's eight birthday in a restaurant, before Arnold drives them home. They stop at a traffic light; as it turns green, Arnold leisurely accelerates away, only to be broadsided by another vehicle. Despite his blury vision and shock, Arnold turns around to check on his children, both of whom are unhurt; his wife, however, is slumped in the passenger seat, dead. He tells how the driver of the other vehicle was drunk, and that since his wife's death he has struggled with a drinking problem of his own, which combined with the challenges of raising two daughters has lead him to spiral into a state of depression.

Charli Whitford , a 45 year-old housewife, now tells her story. She talks about her husband - who is signifciantly older than her - and that she fell deeply in love with him twenty years prior. We see her as Young Charli Whitford (Indiana Rhodes) being she says that despite the fact he had four previous marriages, their marriage had always been loving and happy - and was his longest by far. However, two weeks ago she discovered that he was having an affair with a much younger woman, and was heartbroken. She says she has begun to struggle with her self-worth, and that she felt trapped in what had become a loveless marriage; she says she felt unsafe to tell him about her knowledge of his infidelity, because she was afraid of how he would respond.

[re-write of the following is pending, probably, although the plot remains the same]

Jack talks about his blissfully happy childhood on a rural farm; riding horses and looking after cattle. Attending a school in the village, he became best friends with another boy - unnamed. When he was 13, he began feeling - as he explains - that perhaps it was more than friendship. Aged 16, he begins a secret affair with the boy. However, a few months ago, his father caught him and said boy engaging in a sexual act. He is kicked out of his house and forced to wander. He faces ostracising from his community, and the other boy ignores him when he begs him to come with him. He wanders down the road, trying to hitch hike, through sun and wet weather. He arrives in the city, and begins abusing substances and self-harming in his tent under an underpass.

Leo is simply a lonely old man. He talks briefly of his life, much of it lead on his own. He briefly mentions a young love, but volunteers no further information. He is very quiet and shielded.

Jannie is an alcoholic construction worker. He talks about his drinking, and the desire and need to have alcohol. He talks passionately about his daughter; the only picture he has is of her as a child. He talks about her being taken away from him by child services when she was 9. She must be 20 now, he says. The child’s mother has never been in the picture.

Once everyone has stopped talking, the therapist thanks all for being there. He talks a little. He thanks everyone for coming.

Tom walks home to a dingy apartment. He closes the door, and looks across at the bottle of vodka on the table. As he drinks it, we see his flashbacks. He crashes the car. He is in tears. As he stumbles out, he sees that he has hit another car. Although his vision is blurry, he can see that the occupants are dead. He flees the scene.

They attend another meeting. More talking between characters.

Tom stops by a shop on his way back. He picks up a bottle of vodka and pays in coins. A prominent sign above the counter displays a message asking for identification for under 21s. A second sign says that the cashier will not sell alcohol to those suffering from mental illness. Tom looks at the sign and back at the cashier, who hands him the bottle of vodka. He walks home and drinks the whole thing. He sees the face of the dead occupants. He walks to the sight of the crash and sees it more, bottle in hand. He stumbles over to the bridge - obviously the Harbour Bridge - and stands at the edge, covered in darkness. He takes one last look up, and throws himself off.

Jannie walks into the meeting. They sit down. Tom’s chair is empty. The Therapist exchanges a glance with Jannie, whose eyes fall to the ground. Jannie talks more about is daughter and how much she means to him, although, he painfully concedes “of course… I barely know her now…”. Jannie goes home and is determined to find his daughter. He searches the internet to find his daughter but to no avail. He drinks a case of beer and watches television. He wakes up, puts the picture of his daughter under his hard hat and walks to work. Once there, he is met by the foreman who tells him he has been laid off, as the costs of the construction have spiralled and can no longer be afforded. He goes home, slumps on the sofa and takes out the picture of his daughter. Tears well in his eyes.

We skip forward to next meeting; Jannie walks in and tells how he’s been sacked. He said he’s been looking for a job but can’t find any. Unemployment is rife. He attends an interview, wearing an old scruffy suit. He’s told “we don’t need any more construction workers… and even if we did, we’d probably pick somebody slightly younger”. He goes home and looks at the case of beer. He ignores it and takes out his construction material. He calmly takes out a rope, ties it around the beam under his staircase. He stops, hesitates, as he looks at the picture of his daughter. He says - “I’m sorry, Louise” and places the noose over his head.

Jack walks in. There are now two empty seats. He talks about his feelings, and leaving home. He goes home to his tent. He walks along the street and sees pictures of happy couples and happy people. He goes into his tent and looks down at the needle. He injects himself with a needle. The camera blurs as Jack relaxes. He lies as the music slows, a heartbeat is audible. His eyes are filled with tears. He injects himself again, and we see his last, relaxed breaths.

Leo, Charli and Carter are the only three remaining. They glance around at each other. Leo professes that he has lived a long life; although he laments that it was perhaps, not an entirely happy one. He talks of his dreams, his desires, his wishes. He talks, somewhat cryptically, about his love. Running from riot police as teenagers in the 1960s. He goes home and sits in an armchair in front of the fire. He glances at his sleeping pills. He takes a handful, places them in his mouth, drinks it with a cup of tea, closes his eyes, and goes to sleep.

Charli brings up trying to talk to her husband, but finding herself unable to. She struggles with her self-worth. She laments how happy she had been, and how low she feels now. She goes home and tells her husband about the affair. He reacts angrily and complains of her constant nagging. A day passes and her husband actively flaunts the new girlfriend. She takes her husbands pistol and goes to the local golf club. She shoots the girlfriend, before turning the gun on her husband, and then on herself.

Carter walks into the meeting. He looks at The Therapist who says “shall we sit down”. Carter talks mainly about his wife, his love for her and his daughters. He talks of how he struggles to deal with raising them, and what life without his mother is like. He cannot forgive the man who drunk drove and killed his wife. He struggles with alcohol abuse. He keeps repeating his love for his daughter.

He goes home. It’s late at night and he drinks a bottle of red wine. And then a second, before downing a third. He goes into the draw, and takes out a knife. His hand trembles as he draws it to his body. He is stopped by his daughter walking in. “Daddy, what are you doing?”.

The film closes with The Therapist sitting on a chair, looking out across the empty room. He stands up, looks out, turns the lights off and walks off. A message informs viewers about the “silent epidemic” - it “lurks in the shadows… it truly is the silent epidemic. More Satavians will die this year from Suicide than HIV, malaria, breast cancer or homicide. Need help? Dial 000. You get one shot. Don’t waste it”.

Cast

• Ashton Lynes as Tom Shaw
  • Phoenix Turner as Young Tom Shaw
• Pieter Dunbarr as Carter Arnold
  • Dane Coles as Young Carter Arnold
• Molly Mitchell as Charli Whitford
  • Indiana Rhodes as Young Charli Whitford
• Elijah Larkins as Jack Smuts
  • Jacob Radek as Young Jack Smuts
• Anthony Dry as Leo Ronin
  • Hennie McMahon as Young Leo Ronin
• Patrick Cosby as Jannie Murphy
  • Duke Gambon as Young Jannie Murphy
• Edouard Florence as The Therapist

Soundtrack

The Depression Club: Are You Lonely?
Soundtrack album by various artists
Released	24 October 2023
Label	Mountpara Music
Audio Sample This Side of Paradise by Coyote Theory

The Depression Club: Are You Lonely?

No.	Title	Length