Out of Mind
Sinopsis
Out of Mind follows the story of a young Armenian man’s struggle with depression and anxiety disorder worsened by the stigma around mental illness in his family and the community.
Director Statement
During a major episode of depression, I saw myself as if I am in a deep pit, and no one
could help me get out. Although my family is not conservative, it was still very hard to
communicate with them about my challenge. In the Armenian community, as well as in many
other conservative communities, the topic of mental illness is taboo. Mental illness is seen as a
weakness, and those suffering from it have little to no support.
I believe that to make a change in society, we need to be able to talk about it.
To me Out of Mind is an attempt to begin the conversation of mental illness in the Armenian community. The fact that the film is getting selected by festivals, especially Armenian ones shows that we are in need of that conversation to discuss coping skills, self-care, what helps, and what makes it worse. As somebody who periodically goes through episodes of derepression, I hope that the film can empower those within our community who are ashamed to speak up about their own mental illness.
The Process
The principal photography took place over the course of four days at UCLA TFT and Glendale. For Nick’s dream, during which he falls into a pit, we built a portable wooden pit designed by architect Sona Gevorkyan.
Festival Circuit
Directly after completing the film, Out of Mind was selected by various film festivals around the globe, including two of the biggest Armenian film festivals in the diaspora, as well as the ARPA International Film Festival in Los Angeles and the Pomegranate Film Festival in Toronto.
More about Out of Mind?
Watch this short documentary that explores the intentions behind the filmmakers and explain why it is important to make films about mental illness.