I have long been a part of the youtube community as a viewer, four or five years long in fact. In that time I have seen youtube grow immensely in audience and capacity. What was once kids in their bedrooms making videos is now a huge media platform with an enormous and continually growing audience. As youtube has grown, the audience has grown too. Not only in size, but some of the longer term viewers have 'grown up.' I'm now 19 and I don't have any interest in watching two teenage boys doing a 'Seven Second Challenge.' That isn't to say there isn't a market for that sort of youtube content, there clearly is. But I feel that there is so much more that can be done on such a widely received platform. I want to see original, innovative content and creatives taking advantage of their influence in a positive way. This is precisely what Tim H and Sammy Paul are doing.
On Tuesday evening I had the privilege of watching the film with (one of) the creators present, at a screening at UCL. A somewhat surreal experience, to view something I would normally watch on my humble laptop screen alone, projected onto a wall with several people present. I have since watched it a second time, alone, on my humble laptop screen, and I can assure you it was equally as excellent.
The Fleeting Little Life of Peter Wright is an immaculate piece of work in a multitude of ways. Beautifully shot, strong performances and incredibly humorous. But for me, most striking is the subject matter of suicide. Allowing suicide to be your muse is in itself admirable. It is an unfortunate truth that in our society mental health issues remain somewhat of a 'taboo'. Particularly suicide. The general attitude is don't think about it, don't talk about it. But I'm standing up and saying that is wrong. Because in reality, a lot of us have thought about it. A lot of us have wished we could talk about it, with out being patronised at that. As Jenny herself says: 'I don't know what it is about being suicidal that makes people treat you like a fucking six year old.' Nor do I Jenny, but I'm glad that Tim H and Sammy Paul are speaking out that this isn't what we need.
At the same time there is the challenge of talking about suicide without seemingly promoting it.
I can confirm that this film is successful in acknowledging that suicidal thoughts are relatively common. That in the grand scheme of things, we don't matter and we are dying. It's all pointless, but you can leave it all behind without ending a life. That you can rewrite it all. You can become a chocolatier and marry a local barmaid, and that is ultimately better than death.
And these incredibly talented human beings have managed to tackle a taboo subject, present a thought provoking message and throw in tremendous humour too. I'm not talking a few sniggers here and there, I'm talking simultaneous belly laughs in the lecture theatre. Some may say that suicide isn't funny and that we shouldn't be laughing. But I make my next point as somebody who has suffered with depression for as long as I've been watching youtube videos. Those simultaneous laughs with strangers in a lecture theatre are a reminder that there are things more worthwhile than dying.
The Fleeting Little Life of Peter Wright is a triumph. A wonderfully important, thought provoking and bloody funny piece of work that I cannot praise enough. Congratulations and thank you to Tim H, Sammy Paul et al for challenging perspectives and bringing something innovative to the youtube community.
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