A few years ago, writer Rufus Love was working in a theater when he got chatting with a co-worker. The man told him that he was a guard at a university, but had to resign after repeatedly finding out students in their room who died by suicide. The pain and trauma were too intense to stay at work. “He told me, ‘I had to be the one knocking on doors that hadn’t been opened in a while,'” Love recalled. The Independent.

This story inspired Contact timesa thrilling short film written by Love and directed by Harry Richards. The film stars Kris Hitchen (as seen in Ken Loach Sorry we missed you) as the caretaker, and model-turned-actor George Osborne as his son. With quiet power, the psychological drama follows the guard as he discovers a student who has committed suicide in his room. In the fallout, he finds himself confronting and reevaluating his relationship with his own son, who is struggling in silence.

Between them, Love and Richards know of six young people from their University of Edinburgh cohort who have taken their own lives. “We both also have friends across the country who are grieving their losses or thanking their lucky stars for near misses,” Love said, “so this seems like a really important time to tell this story.”

The statistics are grim. One in five people will experience suicidal thoughts in their lifetime. The suicide also affected members of the film’s production: “Many of our cast and crew were very sadly affected by suicide,” Richards said, “and while we were in post-production on the film, a of our very close friends and team Members have lost someone they knew to suicide. It reminded us all of the urgency to make this film and get it out to as many people as possible as soon as possible.

For Love, the purpose of Contact times is to normalize these feelings and try to “destigmatize them and remove the shame.”

“It means that the fact that you have these thoughts does not make you a bad person or make you wrong in any way,” he said. “It’s incredibly common and it’s something that can be overcome, and the way to overcome it is to get it off your chest and let others see your pain.”

The film’s unique point of view, that of the person who discovers a student, is also important. “We wanted to give a glimpse into the courage of these people,” Love said, “and how difficult the consequences can be. We wanted to bring that to light to thank them for their work and help them overcome any emotional impact that there could be.

“Where possible, we want to start this conversation so that universities, colleges and other institutions can do their best in terms of prevention, but also postvention, making sure that those front-line responders, the students nearby and the university culture as a whole manage to react in the best possible way to keep people safe. Caring for people around suicide is of the utmost importance to the film and to us.

Contact times had its first exclusive preview in London this week, with more events expected to take place over the coming months. “Next year we will be showing the film at universities,” Richards said. They plan to screen the film with live Q&As in an attempt to start vital conversations between students, parents and universities.

“We hope people come away feeling hopeful,” Love said, adding that, unexpectedly, they found their research process and conversations with people affected by suicide, as well as front-line professionals line, “life-affirming and joyful.”

“It’s also difficult, of course, but in these spaces where people share their struggles, or those of their friends or family, everyone can leave feeling warm and full and with renewed gratitude for the sacredness of life.

Learn more about Contact times here.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress or are struggling to cope, you can speak to The Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK & ROI), email [email protected] or visit THE Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you live in the United States and you or someone you know is currently in need of mental health help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential helpline available to anyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.