Movies, Series & Documentaries; About Suicide Loss & Grief

Explicit content warning

09/27/22 • 37 min

The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations

We regularly find suicide as a subject matter on TV and in film these days...or at least more than we did once. I am going to dive down the rabbit hole to talk about my suggestions and cautions - and a few hard "no's".
When you watch movies with a theme toward suicide or death, does the content activate you or help you? Since the reasons these films, or shows, are made can be so diverse - to educate, to cause fear or shock or disgust, or even to provoke or bring about change and awareness - so are our reasons for choosing, or not choosing, to watch them.
Today, I explore and discuss just some of the current choices out there. Be sure to also check out the two episodes from past seasons and here's the link to the Hallie Twomey episode that I mention as well

I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHICH ONES YOU HAVE SEEN AND YOUR TAKE - from ANY of the episodes! Or others you would recommend to watch - or not to watch! I will also disclaim this episode as I do all others - take that which serves you and leave the rest. We are all on a very individual journey, and at different spaces inside of each journey. My heart and thoughts are always with you.
The shows/movies that I discuss are not linked, you will have to search them to see where they might currently be available or streaming. - it changes too much to keep up): I am listing them in the reverse order I talked about them but am listing them by category as I mentioned in the episode:

I Recommend:

The Bear (series)
Scattering CJ (documentary)
Reservation Dogs (series)
Mare of East Town

I recommend WITH Caution (aka "Maybe : depending on you and your place in grief)

Facing Suicide (documentary)
Those Left Behind (movie)
Joe Bell (movie)
CAKE (movie)
I Love You, Now Die (documentary)

Probably a "No" for me:

Girl from Plainville
Grief (Indie film)

Honorable Mention for "Grief" as the subject:

The Starling
Rabbit Hole
This is Where I Leave You

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My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is where ALL THINGS are to be found - including moms support groups, links to my books and grief growth tools plus resources for all survivors and more. Please reach out to me if you know of someone that I should talk to or if you yourself would like to have a conversation around the suicide loss and grief space.. I am always looking to connect and continue the conversation. [email protected]
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with suicidal thoughts PLEASE reach out:
The National Suicide Lifeline is there for you OR 988
TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA
in Canada TEXT 686868
in the UK TEXT 85258
And Grievers, I am always here. You can find me on at The Leftover Pieces

Support the show

I Recommend:

The Bear (series)
Scattering CJ (documentary)
Reservation Dogs (series)
Mare of East Town

I recommend WITH Caution (aka "Maybe : depending on you and your place in grief)

Facing Suicide (documentary)
Those Left Behind (movie)
Joe Bell (movie)
CAKE (movie)
I Love You, Now Die (documentary)

Probably a "No" for me:

Girl from Plainville
Grief (Indie film)

Honorable Mention for "Grief" as the subject:

The Starling
Rabbit Hole
This is Where I Leave You

Support the show

Previous Episode

Men Grieve Too; A Dad Talks about the Suicide Loss of his Son

Today I speak with a dad who lost his son to suicide. Michael Hicks knows that dads grieve too but they do not talk about it nearly as much as moms. Michael shares his story, and his feelings, to help break that norm and alleviate the stigma around men and showing their emotions. If we are going to see a real change in how men approach mental health and a correlating decrease in men ending their own lives, we have to have these conversations. We have to have brave vulnerability as Mike shows in telling his story. This is a very powerful episode.
Find Michael (along with Jolee and Sienna) at HicksStrong HEREMeet my challenge by DONATING HERE to help Soldiers get the help they need

Here is a write-up he shared with me about Macoy that I think should be shared -

US NAVY ABH AN Macoy Austin Daniel Hicks
Aviation Boatswain Mate Airman Macoy Hicks joined the Navy upon graduating from High School in 2017. His first duty assignment after basic training was to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. to the prestigious Naval Ceremonial Guard. It was a significant honor for Macoy to be selected for training with the Ceremonial Guard whose primary mission is to represent the service in Presidential, Joint Armed Forces, Navy, and other public ceremonies in and around the nation's capital. Among its most solemn duties is to provide honor guards for naval funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.
Thousands of funerals are held every year at Arlington, with between 30 to 40 funerals a day during the week and 6 to 8 on weekends. Military funeral guards are referred to as "missions" to help the guard detach emotionally. But many cannot detach as was the case for Macoy, who was haunted by the repeated sorrow he witnessed. He was later transferred to the USS Nimitz but his PTSD combined with a traumatic brain injury, followed by personality changes, insomnia, depression, and fruitless visits to Navy mental health providers, left him feeling like nobody in the sea service cared about him.
On February 11, 2019, Macoy Hicks died by suicide while in naval custody. He was twenty years old. To honor their son and brother and to ensure that military service personnel and families have greater access to mental health providers the Hicks family created the non-profit HicksStong Inc. The organization provides funding for active-duty military service personnel and veterans who wish to be linked with qualified and confidential therapists. Speaking on behalf of her family, Macoy's sister, Sienna states "I believe he is proud of us... Macoy's suffering will not be in vain; even after the abrupt end of his own, he is saving lives."

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My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" support central - MY HUB - and that means my different SUPPORT GROUP Options are available. Go DIRECTLY to my SUPPORT page here where you will find ALL of the ways to connect and find support. My first two books (tools I am creating for you!) in the "Facing Life After Suicide" series are available on Amazon
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with suicidal thoughts PLEASE reach out:
CALL 988
OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA
in Canada TEXT 686868
in the UK TEXT 85258

Support the show

Next Episode

Opening to the Presence of Your Pain; Marianne Gouveia of EricsHouse

Life after suicide loss - in the case of today's guest, child loss after suicide - requires learning to be open to the presence of your pain, at least if you want to begin down the path of healing. But, what does that mean? Marianne Gouveia of the no-profit EricsHouse and I explore this and so much more in this episode.
Today, you will hear Marianne and I talk about

How we work through our 'grief bursts'
What is "Catholic Fear" and how to move past it
How the healing can begin after the shock, numbness & isolation...and then continue from there
Grief inside a marriage ... and So much more!
Eric's House and its vision "...that no person who is bereaved by suicide or substance abuse will suffer these devastating losses alone."

You can find Marianne and ALL of the wonderful work being done through EricsHouse---> HERE AT EricsHouse WEBSITEFOR MEN needing a SUPPORT GROUP - GO HERE
A bit more about Marianne and Eric's House --
Marianne spent 35 years as an aerospace and defense executive. She was President and Vice President along with various other capacities with a concentration on international business development and program management. She owned and operated an international aerospace company for more than 10 years.

Marianne left corporate America to pursue a business coaching certification through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) and is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF). After the loss of her youngest son, Marianne chose to turn her tragedy into good for others. She founded EricsHouse in 2017 to help those left behind sort through these devastating losses to integrate their grief so they may find joy and happiness again. EricsHouse helps people rise, survive, and thrive even in the face of devastation.

Outside of her corporate life, she experienced several life transitions encompassing career, business, loss of a sibling, loss of a child, loss of parents, a divorce, a Down Syndrome son, and a Down Syndrome sister.
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