bitter tears
german documentary film about youth's suicide by yola kattermann grimm
music by Notwist

Suicide is the second-most cause of death of children and juveniles. For example in Germany every day three young people commit suicide. And the number of suicides which are not recognized, hidden or unclear causes of death, is extremely high. Unfortunately suicide is one of the last big taboos in our society - because these warning signals are often not heard. Bitter Tears tells, without any commentary and voyeurism, about three fates of suicide and makes the taboo a subject...
Comments

Claudia Lepp, Journalistin
I have seen your film "Bitter Tears" in the Film Museum and could not forget it. In the cinema I cried all the time, because the subject suicide is well-known to me and therefore the film affected me by its urgency. I want to praise you first for this film ... and I want to ask you to show the film to pupils in the schools ... Simply thanks for the film.

Werner Kühnert, AGUS - Angehörigengruppe um Suizid
My bitter experience from 8 years of care for moarning parents and relatives however shows that an arousing film like this was due for a long time to finally effect something for prevention of suicide. A film which possibly saves lifes cannot be furthered too much.

Ingrid Post, Deutscher Caritasverband
The most remarkable thing in this film for me is that the power and effectiveness of communication was mentioned in a thoroughly convinced way by all parties concerned. That is the preventive possiblity for children who should actually be appealed to. It encourages to look for a way out of hopeless situations. With this film suicide of children and juveniles is no longer a taboo subject.

Festivals
Internationales Documentarfilmfestival München,
Dokumentarfilm Videofest Kassel,
Encontros Internacionais de Cinema Documental, Portugal
Colloque Europèen - Local action to build a social Europe, Lille, Frankreich

awards
jsfb Mediaprice Berlin
Recommendation of Zentralstelle Medien, Daten u. Informationen (ZMDI) in Hessen


65 min. documentary, PAL, colour, stereo, DigiBeta, FSK 14 years, Munich

Topics
youths | suicide | conflicts | social | communication | death