WATCH THE TEASER TRAILER BELOW
First, the Recap:
Specters. Devils. Ghosts. Monsters. They are the stuff of myths, legends, nightmares, and the movies. The things that go bump in the night, that howl at the moon, that creep into our minds, under our beds, or reside in our closets, biding their time, waiting for the appropriate instances to strike fear into us like nothing else. The absolute unease the mere THOUGHT of them creates within us is a palpable force, causing elevated heart rate, belabored breathing, and a state of panic that can be completely, painfully crippling. But, there is also another form of deeply insidious creature that can have just as traumatic an impact as these imagined entities do–depression. Yet, even in the crushingly debilitating clutches of one of the most stigmatized and still misunderstood conditions, what if one would actually USE horror to be the conduit for coping and controlling it? Her name is Jenna Kanell, and what you see and hear is explicitly REAL.
Next, my Mind:
Folks, let’s come out and say it. Not only IS depression a true beast, but it is a condition afflicting FAR too many people in this world, even more amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and an overall increase in mental health cases. It is something we’ve heard about so many times, but that’s PRECISELY how it SHOULD be, as this is something we should NEVER grow tired OF being reminded of the desperate need for helping those who suffer from depression a viable, healing, beneficial way through, and, ideally and ultimately, OUT of it. However, there are also those fighting who’ve discovered their own means to confront it, live with it, and see the slowly developing improvements in their lives that it brings. Let’s take this example from writer/director/actress/stuntwoman Kanell, who is the primary focus of this new 12-minute documentary short film from fellow writer/director Courtney Dixon along with producers John Cassaras and Denis Deck, selected to be part of the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, with screenings on Thursday June 6th at 8:15 pm, Tuesday June 11th at 5:15 pm, and Saturday June 15th at 12:15 pm, all at the AMC 19th St. East 6 in NYC.
In coming from a highly successful and ongoing career in film and TV, Kanell gets to be a star in a totally different style by being so candidly forthright and transparent about her consistent battle with depression and how it has influenced her life. A lifelong fan of horror films, and being the genre that actually promoted her interest and pursuit of acting, the heightened emotional state those projects elicited in her were mirroring her own personal state of being. Having to face the fact that so many people speak of it in a negative connotation, to the point of it being utterly disparaged and labeled so unjustly, it is also a battle not to simply feel MORE broken, though totally needlessly so if humanity would return to being what it SHOULD be–selfless and supportive of one another. The weight of heritage that passed the depression down through the generations were causing Kanell to have nightmares as early as twelve years old, which medicine wasn’t at ALL helping with. And then came the catalyst that altered everything in this journey towards reconciliation and enduring it–horror films.
It became an actual ESCAPE via the aforementioned (hinted at, really) displays of intense fear, the “who will survive this?!” perspective, and just the better sense of AWARENESS that it compelled her to experience, even when the manner in which her depression would manifest could vary every single day. It takes the form of “what’s the point of it all”, crying, a total distrust of those around her or even herself, taking stock of the uncertainty the future holds, and the subsequent “masks” that she put on to cope with it while attempting to hide the fear of others, as she had times of just feeling like a freak. The illustrations the film utilizes while Kanell is relating these memories and her path through depression are deftly presented odes and references to everything from her own films she’s actually acted in as well as “The Twilight Zone” and “Poltergeist”, which only aid in adding the magnitude and depth to her sharing that one cannot help but be moved by. M.D.D. (Major Depressive Disorder) gives Kanell that harrowing degree of treading water, wanting to keep her head above the surface, and it is a tangible force you have as a viewer when she is being SO willing to discuss this to the levels she is.
A traumatic history is addressed as well, which is always heartbreaking to learn about, and this scar is so rawly explained that it likewise makes one compassionately empathize with Kanell while also making you angry that this kind of abuse IS happening. It has been a further trial to overcome, as it was yet another factor in creating the fear of opening up to others within her, the aftermath of the event with her forever, as if she opens up to feel anything, that means she could feel EVERYTHING, which is a daunting, intimidating reality when fighting against depression. BUT, when the monster kept following her everywhere she went, it was at that stage that HELP was truly needed, and this becomes the honest, heartwarming aspect of Kanell’s story, SEEKING it and being open to it, knowing the apprehension of being judged. Fortunately, Kanell found she is NOT alone, that she might not always think she has CONTROL over depression, but has found those means to MANAGE it, since the bigger danger in it all is NOT to find help when it is imperative, requisite for the ability to stare down that beast.
Kanell’s entire demeanor throughout the interview and accompanying visuals that employ film footage, CGI, and straight animation is a potent portrait of conspicuous vulnerability yet an undeniable inner strength that not only endears you to her as a person, but so adeptly allows for us to be made more educated and cognizant of depression, it’s actualities, it’s affects, and the compelling need, as also stated above, to BE THERE for those striving against being pulled under by its unrelenting nature. Kanell is a HUMAN BEING, folks, and she HAS come through the fire to even BE in a place to share about it in this way, that alone is overtly admirable. But its the HOPE she ends up imbuing through her testimonies that also allows us to know victory OVER depression IS possible, and that being able to ascertain HOW to do that could indeed come about through what you LOVE and RELATE to, which is where horror movies came into the spotlight in an amazing way for Kanell, which is truly inspiring and wholeheartedly persuasive.
So, in total, “Depression Is A Beast” is a blunt, uncompromising, eye-opening, awareness-raising, definitively timely, and indisputably relevant dive into the very maw of the beast that is depression, showcasing through a fellow denizen of this planet in which we live that there’s one unassailable truth, even when or if finding a means to be comfortable with what you are bearing–monsters CAN be tamed, monsters CAN be conquered, and, from what Kanell has brought to light, she is SLAYING it. May we take a lesson from it, apply it, and see a better, mentally healthy world for it.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
