When someone you love is facing a mental health crisis, a bit of space is often necessary.
I was floored when I first heard a podcast from Kaitlin Prest. She was refreshingly authentic. Surprisingly immersive. And confrontational, in a taboo kind of way. |
But to think about Kaitlin as simply a podcaster would be to misunderstand her. Yes, she is the founder and host of "The Heart," a podcast at the intersection of intimacy, identity and power dynamics. |
But her experiential style of journalism is something unique to the world. She has a habit of recording everything in her life from conversations with her therapist to intimate moments in the bedroom, things a vast majority of the public would prefer to keep private. These audio recordings are used in her podcasts, performance and art installations — and now, in a short film with Opinion Video. |
While our mediums of journalism and expression are different from her usual work, we reached out to Kaitlin to see if she had ideas for a short film. She had many. |
But the one in particular that we were drawn to struck us as both deeply personal to Kaitlin and also universal in experience. |
The resulting Opinion Video is a story of love and loyalty between Kaitlin and her younger sister Natalie. It's a narrative that touches on some of the darkest moments of Kaitlin's life: suicidality and mental health struggles. But mental health crises are often experienced by more than just the person having the crisis. Those around them often bear the burden as well — in this case, Kaitlin's sister Natalie. |
So our story is told from two perspectives of a single crisis. |
The video essay asks: What do you do when a person you love is consuming your life? How do you balance your love for someone else against your own needs and health? |
Through creative storytelling that combines Kaitlin's deep archive with original cinematography by Morgana McKenzie, animation from Tala Schlossberg and sweeping audioscapes and original music created by Kaitlin and Natalie, this Opinion Video is an honest account of how two sisters navigated a complicated time in their lives. |
We hope it resonates with anyone who, at great personal cost, has put his or her own life on hold to help a friend or family member. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
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