Burn Out

In recent years in France, a suicide has been committed in public on average every two weeks: April 26, 2011, in the parking lot at France Telecom. October 26, 2011, in front of the Élysée Palace in Paris. February 13, 2013, at an employment agency in Nantes. And they all do it by self-immolation. Who were the real people behind the victims, and why could they find no alternative? First, photographer and web documentary maker Samuel Bollendorff made subdued shots of the scenes of the suicides, which evoke a desolate and forbidding atmosphere. And then he went to get the victims' stories. Together with co-director Olivia Colo, he talked to family members, colleagues and social workers. They attended funerals and cremations, sifted through archives of radio and TV reports and interviewed experts. With a real sense of urgency, Bollendorff and Colo explain that there is more at play here than only personal desperation. The wave of suicides is a cry for help from a society on the verge of a collective burnout. The directors use a running ECG scan to structure their material. The viewer can click on the undulating and sometimes turbulent lines to watch clips. And then a perfectly straight line appears. It seemed to be the only way out for Djamal Chaar, Remy Louvradoux, Manuel Gongora and the others we meet here.

Unfortunately, the technology used to make this interactive project available online is no longer supported. However, new solutions to preserve and update projects technically are continuously being explored within the interactive field. Whenever possible, we will bring this project back online.

For documentation and more information on the project, check out the links.