Suicide Prevention Organisation VLESP Tackles Talking Issues in a Car Wash

Director Jara Moravec and Hamlet’s new film for VLESP, a Flemish suicide prevention organisation, tackles an important issue in a profound fashion.

The film depicts two men sitting in silence inside a vehicle at a car wash; their thoughts are communicated to the audience through subtitles. One yearns for help coping with depression, but finds himself unable to speak; the other man senses his struggle but is afraid of breaking the tension. The intense atmosphere lingers before the film closes with a powerful statement: ‘Take the first step.’

At the centre of the film is a song with a significant message: Goldstein sourced and licensed Sir Victor Uwaifo’s ‘Happy Day From Me to You’, a Nigerian highlife track recorded in the ‘70s, which plays when the radio is switched on to break the silence. Though the lyrics speak of joy and happiness, the music itself feels more melancholy - a reminder that the truth often lies beneath the surface.