A documentary film dealing with depression and suicide? I know what you’re thinking. Cheery subject…
Of course, it was the sensationalist aspect of it all that garners attention. On July 15, 1974, a real-life news reporter, Christine Chubbuck, decided to kill herself on live television. It was this, I’m sure, that drew the attention of writer/director Robert Greene to want to tell the story in the first place, and it is also this that will draw people in to see the film. (Chubbuck’s story will also be told in an upcoming film Christine starring Rebecca Hall.)
So be it. The news media continues to stay true to form by supplying humanity’s morbid fascination with “blood and guts” – as Christine herself stated right before she pulled the trigger and ended her life.
Whether you are fascinated by morbid and melodramatic deaths or not, I urge you to see this film. Not because it’s sensationalist, but because Robert Greene’s telling of the story behind the story, along with his choice of music composer (Keegan Dewitt)and cinematographer (Sean Price Williams) is great.
As someone who has personally dealt with terrible depression, suicidal tendencies more times than I can count and the pervading feeling of being an “outsider,” this film truly captures the isolation, the sense of numbness and the sense of quiet desperation for something good and meaningful to happen in one’s life.
Yet, in the case of Christine, it never quite did to her satisfaction. The lead actress, Kate Lyn Shiel, worked tirelessly to research the role and find Christine’s voice. Her transformation is fairly well done. I applaud that Kate in her last scenes wanted to make a different choice as I believe she personally was reticent to be sensationalist about it all.
Kate is extremely natural in front of the camera either as Christine or as herself, and it makes me wonder if more films shouldn’t be approached in this documentary style. The editing also is superb. It jumps around in respect to the time line, is not linear and it works beautifully.
There are extra scenes – not necessarily story related – that again, with respect to composer Dewitt and cinematographer Williams – create such a poignant and potent sense of being in Christine’s shoes.
Looking further into Christine’s life, and her shocking ending, many of us can’t help but wonder why she would end her life in such a seemingly insane way. It was said in her last moments she smiled – smirked even – as she made her last statements before pulling the trigger.
But imagine if no aspect of your life went the way you’d hoped? Imagine being on the outside of things – feeling like the world is moving along at a certain pace and then there you are: knocking on the invisible wall to be let in while the world moves forward without you. You would be angry! Angry at yourself and angry at the world for not letting you in.
I think Christine felt she had run out of options. The love of her life died tragically in a car accident when she was sixteen. Besides a very short-lived relationship at 21, she never dated after that. Her chances of having a child were largely diminished after an operation following complications with her reproductive system and her close relationships with friends were few and not fulfilling.
I believe she felt that her work was all she had left as a way to feel “part of things” but even that was fraught with issues. In essence Christine felt that life had failed her. She wanted to hit the reset button. It was “screw this life and screw all of you who kept me out.”
Although Kate Lyn Shiel made some interesting choices and clearly is worthy of a great career, the only thing I felt was lacking in her performance was the “screw it all” flippant attitude that goes with the anger and numbness one feels from a life of depression. Kate clearly was moved by Christine’s life of unhappiness and her interpretation of Christine was sombre at the end, yet there was no trace of that sarcasm.
In the last scene, when the tape of the shooting that was supposed to play, didn’t, that snarky sentiment of: “How PERFECT… of course it won’t play!” should have kicked in.
But ultimately Kate Plays Christine is a necessary film to watch. It helps all of those on the outside of clinical depression to truly understand and take on board that feeling of isolation and depression and even heartfelt failure. If all can understand those feelings, it makes it easier to reach people when they are in that horrid place.
Christine’s death may have been “sensationalist” but Robert Greene’s film is anything but that. Go see it.
