A Statement about I See A Darkness from film-makers Yellow Asylum
Director's Statement:
Like far too many families in Ireland, my extended family was recently touched by the unexpected and shocking news of a death by suicide. At the funeral and during the days after, the idea for I SEE A DARKNESS started to take shape.
In keeping with previous productions such as THE ASYLUM and THE HOSPICE, it was clear was that we wanted to tell the stories behind the statistics, beyond the preconceptions. And in the same way that grief-stricken families across the country were trying to piece together what happened to their lost one, I imagined that the series should echo and reflect that process in some way. Nobody’s version is definitive, no truth absolute, but there seemed to be something valuable in the attempt to relate the story of these deaths. To celebrate the life and to reflect upon the death. There seemed also to be something valuable in having some public discussion around these stories.
The initial research was lengthy, exhausting and emotionally draining. It was important to make sure also that the process of researching and ultimately making the series did not add to the distress so evidently there already. We needed to be certain that our participants made the decision to take part with a clear mind, rather than perhaps clouded by despair or in a sincere but headlong rush to help others.
We also consulted widely with, and were helped by, various bodies involved in suicide awareness and prevention. We are grateful for their useful and generous input but equally we were always conscious of keeping the human stories to the fore in all these discussions.
It was also clear that we should include a story of hope in this meditation upon grief and decided to include the story of an attempted suicide in episode three. Caroline McGuigan’s personal tale tentatively points the way out of the darkness while never under-estimating the pain of Simon Moroney and Mark McDonnell nor undermining the grief of their families.
Despite our preparations, we were still disarmed and extremely moved by the honesty and openness of the three families that eventually took part. It was humbling and, at times, unsettling to be so intimate with their grief. It soon became clear that the power lay firmly in their testimony and that the production style should be stark and uncluttered. In the face of such raw grief and in dealing with such a sensitive area, the usual televisual pyrotechnics would be grossly inappropriate. Above all, the tone needed to be sparse and dignified, largely allowing the voices to speak for themselves. To let the heart-breaking stories tell themselves.
We emerged from making the series sure of only one thing: when it comes to suicide, there are no easy answers, no cheap fixes, no glib generalisations. I am certain only that the story behind each and every death by suicide is unique and individual. But our aim – and that of those taking part – was always to open up some sort of a national conversation around suicide. Any debate would be timely and welcome. In making the series however our focus always returned to the personal, to the small chats in kitchens and sitting rooms, to the quiet discussions in offices or pubs across the country. In those small conversations, hopefully, lie the seeds of knowledge and prevention, of healing and hope.
A Yellow Asylum Films Production for RTE
Production Team:
- Director: Alan Gilsenan
- Producer: Martin Mahon
- Researcher: Moira Lawson
- Cinematography: Richard Kendrick
- Sound: Kieran Horgan
- Editor: Oliver Fallen
Statement from RTÉ on I See A Darkness
A television series directly addressing the experience of suicide is not lightly undertaken. There are many reasons to be wary of setting foot in this most painful territory. Yet in its gravity and in the frequency of its occurrence in Ireland today, suicide is simply too important a subject for us not to attempt to address it. The community in Ireland experiences it and must talk about it.
Public service broadcasting is part of the national conversation. This is our effort, in partnership with an independent film-maker of exceptional skill and integrity, to put forward a truthful, serious and meaningful engagement with the experience of suicide via a peaktime television series. We hope that it will be engaged with and valued as such.
There is no escaping the grief, pain and scarcely bearable loss of those touched by suicide, those left behind. These programmes capture that experience in a myriad personal details and recollections in the three personal stories told. Just as evident as the pain is the courage and fortitude of those who have stepped forward to speak. The individuals and families involved deserve every commendation for their personal and public courage. The series could not have been attempted without them.
The series project is also made possible by the dedication and skill of producers Yellow Asylum Pictures. Director Alan Gilsenan and producer Martin Mahon have, with their colleagues, already made landmark RTÉ One series on mental hospital confinement and on terminal palliative care. Their series The Asylum (2006) and Hospice (2007) were rightly praised for going into places often associated with pain, fear and indeed death and for offering the visibility and insight that can lead to proper public understanding. Both series represented significant efforts in terms of Irish television documentary and benchmarked Television’s capacity for opening out private places and difficult experiences to appropriate public view.
This series now, drawing on the experience of this production team and employing the best advice in terms of the depiction and treatment of suicide, attempts to bring to air as difficult a subject as can be attempted. The approach taken is not of investigation or analysis, of policy or resourcing or factual statistics, but rather that of the story told. What happened here, and how. Who was lost, and how the loss impacts. What suicide is for those departed and those left behind.
RTÉ Television hopes that the series will inform discussion, debate and conversation around the subject of Suicide and provide some tangible public service in that regard.
Kevin Dawson
Commissioning Editor,
Factual RTÉ Television
