About the Documentary
More and more people in our society are reaching a breaking point.
In the U.S., suicide rates have increased by approximately 24% from 1999 to 2014. During this same period, drug poisoning deaths—including overdoses—involving opioid analgesics more than tripled. Moreover, suicide is now the second leading cause of death among individuals aged 10–34.

The pressures of daily life—and the fear of failing at them—are pushing individuals to the edge. For some, the weight becomes so unbearable that leaving feels easier than staying. It’s ironic that in such a modern society—one that claims to be so civilized and advanced, promising rewards for hard work and comfort through materialism—we are dying from convenience turned chaos, from connection replaced by consumption, and from a culture that prizes survival over sincerity.

Why. is a film that explores the lived experience of standing on that edge. It examines the societal forces contributing to emotional collapse: isolation, economic instability, performance culture, and the quiet epidemic of disconnection. It also confronts the shame placed on those who struggle with mental health—not because they are broken, but because they are responding to a deeply unnatural way of life. In a culture that pathologizes pain and labels human reactions as disorders, suffering only deepens.

Through the lens of individuals in crisis, those affected by their struggles, and the voices of professionals on the front lines of emotional health, this film explores how these forces collide—and what we as a society can do to make staying not only possible, but meaningful again.

The film is structured in three acts:

Act I: What. — explores the personal and emotional reality of despair.

Act II: Why. — uncovers the societal and relational breakdowns fueling this crisis.

Act III: What Now. — offers a path forward based on research, human history, and intensive focus groups, highlighting the core human needs that must be met to restore hope, dignity, and belonging.

But we cannot accomplish this much-needed work without others. As we are firmly committed to maintaining full creative control—refusing to hand over power to corporate film entities or studios that could risk the integrity of the film—and to making it freely available to anyone who wishes to view it, I am asking for your help to make this vision a reality.