Permanent Record: Suicide is Just the Beginning

**Note: The first time I watched this movie without knowing what it was about, was fantastic! The main point of this movie really catches you by surprise. If you must read my review and learn what the movie is about, fine. But if you can, watch it with someone else who doesn't know the story and gauge their reactions. This would be especially true of teenagers. 

I was chatting with a youth counselor recently and we got onto the topic of teen suicide. This movie had made an impression on me many years ago, and I since I recommended it to her for creating group dialogue, we both took the time out to watch it. 

Permanent Record is the story of the suicide of a high school student, David, portrayed by Alan Boyce. This happens early on in the film and we are given a glimpse into his promising - and seemingly perfect - young life before he plunges off a cliff to his death. He is a promising musician and working on the musical score for the school production ofPirates of Penzance and has just won a scholarship to a prestigious movie school. What could possibly be wrong? 

Keanu Reeves portrays Chris, his best friend who at first refuses to believe it was suicide. David was so talented musically, and had such a promising future. 

Once all of the friends come to realize it was suicide, the story takes two directions that are intertwined at the same time. On one hand, we begin to learn that David's life was not as perfect as it first appeared. On the other hand, we see the lasting effects that his suicide has on his friends. 

For surely if David, the kid who seemed to have the most going for him, could feel bad enough about himself to commit suicide, what does that say about them? 

The teens in this movie all begin to fall apart as time wears on, but it is hardest on Chris. Keanu Reeves is fantastic in this role, conveying the angst, guilt, and fright that Chris is tormented by. 

Marisa Silver directed the film and it was written by the team of Jarre Fees, Larry Ketron, and Alice Liddle. None of these people are as well-known as many other directors, but this movie is a masterpiece. The writing is excellent and the direction of the actors is just as good. The friendships all seem natural, the reactions and emotions all seem real. 

This film does not sermonize on the cause of David's death. In fact, we are never given a definitive, clear-cut reason for his suicide. To me, this made it all the better. Not all the questions are answered; not everything is tied up neatly with a pat on the head. 

Nor is it strictly about his suicide. It is about what happens afterwards and how it affects so many others: his parents, his younger brother, and most especially Chris. No one will wake up one day and forget about David or what it felt like for them when he died. 

The musical goes on as planned and it's interesting to watch the production getting better as the friends all work through their feelings, building to the climax of the night of the show as they eulogize their friend and try to go forward with their own lives. 

I would recommend this movie to anyone who would like to try to get teens to talk about suicide. I think this is a great conversation-starter and hits right where it should.