“In Service” directed by Darius J. Rubin premiered at the New York Shorts International Film Festival in October 2024.
“In Service” aims to start conversations about the topics of suicide and depression in young people today. In a world full of self-comparison where even the loss of a loved one becomes an area of competition, it is more important than ever to lean on community in a genuine way.
“In Service” centers around the funeral of a young man, and explores the alienating effect of inauthenticity, while demonstrating that all we really need is a friend that we can be honest with and share in our triumphant human spirit.
WATCH THE OFFICIAL TRAILER BELOW
After the suicide of a young man called Isaac, a whole friendship group unites. At the funeral, Hank must figure out the best way to grieve his best friend, Isaac’s death amidst a cloudy ocean of large personalities, social posturing and temptation.
Isaac was ostensibly well-loved, well-off and in love. He seemed to have it all, yet he still took his own life. Why is that? Through the film, we explore the social competition, wider insecurity and lack of honest and vulnerable communication that we see not just at funerals but in everyday life.
In a world where we are more connected now than we have ever been, and seem to have a world of possibilities at our fingertips, the incidence of suicide has been increasing dramatically over the last 20 years.
Our current social-media-driven world perpetuates feelings of low self-worth, where we are constantly comparing ourselves to the best version of others that we see online. Hopefully, this film will make people more sensitive to this reality and help us all remember that we are not alone.
Our current social-media-driven world perpetuates feelings of low self-worth, where we are constantly comparing ourselves to the best version of others that we see online. Hopefully, this film will make people more sensitive to this reality and help us all remember that we are not alone.
PRESS