Suicide

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  • Suicide

    I have a new idea for a screenplay and the story will revolve around a young man who wants to commit suicide 'humourously'.

    Also he has idols of people who commited suicide in a comedic fashion and also throughout the course of the film creates a cult of 'copycat' suicidal people.

    My question is, is this subject too taboo and morally wrong for film?

  • #2
    Depends on how it's approached.

    It could be dark and edgy and "push the envelope" and I think it'd probably make a pretty compelling story.

    I also think it could be done with a dry, comedic wit (like Shaun of the Dead) where all of the suicide attempters are hopelessly and hilariously unsuccesful.

    There's no middle ground here, however, If it's done wrong, it'll come across as offensive. If it's done right, you'll be praised as a genius.

    I find the idea intriguing, though.

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    • #3
      Taboos are ripe for attack

      Have you seen Harold and Maude? It deals with the "humorous" suicide subject.

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      • #4
        Check out The Lonely Guy w/Steve Martin. It wasn't entirelt about suicide, but it was an underlying theme.

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        • #5
          "The End" a comedy made in the 70's was about a man trying to kill himself but that was a long time ago and the scripts mentioned above were not Hollywood hits. Suicide is definitely not mainstream and isn't the subject matter for a spec script, and if you wanted to sell this to a studio, it probably wouldn't happen. Write whatever the hell you want but don't go in with high expectations.

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          • #6
            There was also the movie Dead Man On Campus which dealt with two slackers who tried getting all As on their classes if they were paired up in their dorm room with someone who commits suicide during the semester. You might want to check that movie out to see what they did right and wrong.

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            • #7
              I donâ€TMt think the subject of suicide is taboo - just not very interesting.

              I think thatâ€TMs the reason we donâ€TMt see too many movies in release about suicide. Go to any student film festival and youâ€TMll see lots of movies about it. I know I made one.

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              • #8
                In the opening of THE ODD COUPLE, Felix attempts suicide and throws his back out. His arc in the film deals with his coming to want to live again. I don't see how it's any more or less interesting than anything else. It's how you pull it off.

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                • #9
                  See Better Off Dead for humorous suicide attempts.

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                  • #10
                    This has definite indy potential, though I think it would probably be a Hollywood dead-end unless the script was brilliant or you were a known writer. You should explore the indy avenue though. There are plenty of indy producers and directors looking for edgy material.

                    For the funniest suicide in cinema history see Roman Polanski's The Tenant. It's available on DVD and is currently selling for $5.99 at www.deepdiscountdvd.com with free shipping and no taxes. I don't work there or anything, but they're a great resource for cheap DVDs.

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                    • #11
                      Suicide is definitely not mainstream and isn't the subject matter for a spec script
                      I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous. No subject matter is off limits for a spec script. It all depends on how original the approach is and how well it's written.

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                      • #12
                        At its most basic level, 'Stay', by David Benioff, is script about a campus psychologist dealing with a student who has threatened to commit suicide at exactly midnight on Saturday (four days away).

                        'Stay' was a spec script that sold for $1.8 million. Yes, Benioff was a published novelist before he was a screenwriter, but that doesn't change the basic fact that he sold a spec script about suicide... for a nice chunk of change.

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                        • #13
                          Y'all are missing Short Time with Dabney Coleman, now that was a funny suicide movie AND a buddy cop film.

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                          • #14
                            There are lots of films that deal with suicide. I don't think it is morally wrong, but I do think it's good to question whether what you're writing is really the message you want to share. Explore those gut feelings to what you really want to say and know why you want to say it, and I'm betting that will make for a better screenplay in the end.

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                            • #15
                              Taboo or morally wrong? Who knows?

                              But the "commerciality" of suicide
                              seems tenuous at best.

                              It doesn't make much sense to reach
                              back to the 70's and 80's to find
                              comedies that fit the mold.

                              Look at what has hit the multiplex in
                              the last year - or what's currently in
                              development.

                              STAY is hardly about suicide.

                              It's about a doc who's trying to prevent
                              a suicide (and that merely serves as the
                              proscenium for the surreal thriller that
                              follows). A protagonist trying to STOP
                              a suicide is very different from one who's
                              trying to commit suicide.

                              Anyway, STAY is a thriller - not a comedy.

                              The problem with suicide & comedy is
                              that it labels the script a "black comedy,"
                              a very tough spec sell - especially from a
                              newbie.

                              Using suicide in a drama would be more
                              acceptable.

                              URBAN TOWNIE - a script by Jess Wigatow
                              that didn't sell on spec but was set-up a
                              while back - deals with a suicidal anti-hero.

                              But the ending - his leap off a tall building -
                              has been changed from death to life and
                              back again - over and over.

                              There are always exceptions (I could see a
                              remake of Burt Reynolds' THE END) and you
                              should write whatever you please - but in a
                              very hard spec market, I would suggest to
                              steer clear from suicide/comedy.

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