Daybreak: Short feature film

• Main Authors: Florentino, Patricia Ann Nicole D. S., Flores, Nicole Diane M., Tan, Jayme Carlaine G.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2018
• Subjects: Depression in adolescence; Mental illness; Mental illness in motion pictures; Short films > Philippines; Short films > Production and direction > Philippines; Communication
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/6967
• Institution: De La Salle University

The inspiration for the film Daybreak began from the strong desire to address the difficulty in explaining how major depressions feels like. A member from the group has been experiencing major depression for almost eighteen months, concealing this due to several reasons the struggle to visually explain how depression feels like, and the fear of having her experiences be invalidated due to the struggle of explaining. There are some daily experiences, such as the simple act of getting up in the morning that, the said group member feels, can be one of the greatest battles. From this, the need to address and explain this battle birthed the concept for the film Daybreak. Major depression can bring about scary thoughts in the mind, and it differs for different people, depending on their individual sources of stress, or insecurities. However, victims of depression all share feeling of fear, extreme self-doubt, and sometimes, nothingness. And more often than not, these feeling can come from places they do not understand, making it almost impossible to address the source to find a solution. It is these struggles that inspired the conceptualization and overall treatment of the experimental feature. In essence, the film aims to validate the experiences and emotions of those undergoing depression and as well as suggest where one may find a source of hope and support. Generally, the issue that the feature aims to address is depression. More specifically, it addresses the great struggle of getting out of bed in the morning. There is a brief moment between waking up and getting out of bed. The choice to get out of bed can be heavily spoiled by waking up with a depressive episode. The issue shall be addressed by metaphorically visualizing the scary thoughts that go through in one's mind. These scary thoughts can even manifest themselves in the most mundane parts of someone's day such as having a meal, socializing, or watching TV. These are the struggles that the film wants to acknowledge. Major depression is a serious mental illness which causes its sufferer persistent feeling of sadness or lack of interest in outside stimuli (Lieber 1). This is a serious matter that a report from WHO (World Health Organization), in 2017, stated that close to 800,000 people die from suicide every year. This does not count those who have attempted suicide (Sison 2). In the Philippines, WHO reported that an estimate of about 18% increase in the number of people living with depression from 2005-2015 (Takumi 6) Next, there is also the issue of struggling to find a source of hope and support because depression tends to hide a sense of positivity from its victim. Depression has a tendency to make its victim believe that there is no reason to get up, that there is no reason to find a cure that life is hopeless and meaningless. As stated by Jennifer Berry in her article on what depression feels like, she states that one common symptom is feeling that everything is hopeless, and that there is no way to feel better (Bery 9). This film aims to personify depression through the character of the black dog, hiding a box that symbolizes a source of hope. Through this imagery and simple narrative, the film suggests that one needs to find hope, and it only seems to be lost because something, or in the film's case, something is keeping the victim from finding it. In terms of issues that the film wants to address, is how those with depression may feel fear of being invalidated by others because of how difficult it is to express what it feels like. Because the effects of depression are not as visual and sensational as images of bloody wounds or huge bruises, others might easily make the mistake to claim that depression is something made up in the head. Susan Noonan in her article 'Depression does not define you', she aims to reinforce those suffering from depression that their illness does not make up who they are as a person. There are those who have sold their personhood to their depressive episodes, failing to remember who they are or what they're like. She reinforces the sufferer that depression is a set of symptoms that may make one believe that the things that used to make them, such as their preferences, interests, accomplishments or their sense of self are permanently gone. When in fact, it is because their depression that have those factors temporarily hidden from its victims (Noonan 1-4). In the Philippines, stigma towards mental health remains to be prominent, which takes a toll on the victim's seek for help. This stigma is present at home, in school, in the workplace, or even in the environment of healthcare (Rivera & Antonio 1).This issue is something the film wishes to encounter by showing unsettling and fearful images. Depression has been one of the most prevalent mental health illnesses across the world and any individual can have it. In producing this film, the proponents aim to contribute in validating the experiences of people who suffer from depression against those individuals who tend to undermine their experiences. It can creatively portray how depression isn't just sadness or an excuse for being lazy by rather prove that it is a sickness that needs to be cured. Mental health illnesses is different from other sickness as it cannot be seen by the naked eye and is stimulated from the inside. In line with shedding light on the topic depression, the proponents would provide visual imagery of these experiences in a literal sense to transcend it to the audience. Lastly it is the goal of the proponents to make use of this film as an instrument of hope to battle against the struggles of having depression. Noonan, in her article 'Depression does not define you', expresses that one can fight illness identity by having the goal of holding on to their usual sense of who you are. One can do this by recognizing that their depression is nothing more than illness. Though this illness takes a toll on the daily life activities of its victims, one should think that where there is an illness, there is treatment and recovery. The victim must manage their symptoms in order to gain back control in their lives, through reconnecting with what makes them truly them-- may it be their relationships, activities, work, or interest, Noonan reminds her readers that friends and family can aid one into anchoring them, and reminding them of their sense of self (Noonan 5). That being said, the film wants to be that reminder that (1) depression is nothing more than an illness, it does not define them and, (2) one can gain their sense of self by reconnecting with what makes them truly them, may it be relationships, work, activities, or self interest.