Suicide Kids - Production Notes

Suicide Kids is at its heart a character piece. I wanted to explore both the psychology of insecurity and the nature of love after romance has faded. The main characters, a group of four friends in their early 20s, reflect these themes in a study of contradiction - Malcolm, a faithless believer; Lincoln, a failed success; Jess, a conceded go-getter; and Mara, an embittered dreamer. Their interactions - and absences - fuel the minimalist coming-of-age plot as they seek absolution to these paradoxical traits.

The story also delves into suicide, that cultural third rail that receives scant attention in discussions of death. While a literal death does occur, I sought to uncover the other personal and emotional suicides that can exist without the death of the body. And, befitting a character-driven film, the effect of being a “suicide survivor” is a critical focus in the film’s second half, probing passed the initial shock of “Why?” to the more unnerving “Where do I go from here?”

Production commenced June 13 and completed in a whirlwind 14 days, shooting primarily in northern Westchester. As a location, the area is visually stunning yet reflects the lack of options and mobility indicative of a small town. Having grown up in this area, I am always surprised how little it is depicted on screen, barring the occasional aside about “upstate” from New York-centric films. In that respect, Suicide Kids is also a love letter to Westchester County and the strange contradictions in so rural a place so near an urban behemoth.

In abhorring reductionism and embracing a shades-of-grey approach, I ended up

with a genuine film that, at times hilarious and at times grotesque, aims not only to entertain but to cast an unflinching view of complicated people in a real setting struggling with hard questions and harder answers.

--Christopher Smith, WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER