The S Word

Filmmaker: Lisa Klein

Runtime: 92 min

A suicide attempt survivor is on a mission to find fellow survivors and document their stories of courage, insight, and humor. Along the way, she discovers a rising national movement transforming personal struggles into action.

The S Word is a powerful feature documentary that puts a human face on a topic that has long been stigmatized and buried with the lives it has claimed. The film gives a platform to those with lived experience – people who have attempted to take their own lives and survived to tell their stories. Capturing personal revelations and surprising moments of humor, it opens a door on this most taboo of subjects through the eyes of the people who have been there and are now committed to preventing others from getting to that edge.

Attempt survivor Dese’Rae Stage, sets out to find fellow survivors and share their stories and portraits with the world. While pursuing her vision, she discovers a vibrant community of other attempt survivors who we meet through her unique lens.

Within this unique and personal approach, The S Word takes an intimate look at the lives of these survivors and their loved ones and records their candid and profoundly emotional stories of hope and survival.

About The Filmmaker

Lisa Klein is an award-winning director and writer dedicated to crafting groundbreaking documentary features. Her current project, THE S WORD, is a documentary that tackles one of the most cloistered issues of our time through the emotional stories of suicide attempt and loss survivors.

In 2012, Lisa co-directed the award-winning film OF TWO MINDS, a journey into the lives of remarkable people living, struggling and triumphing with a bipolar condition. She tours the country speaking and using her films to raise awareness of mental health issues. She is the co-founder, with her husband Doug Blush, of MadPix Inc., an LA-based production company dedicated to producing character-driven stories that create global impact and social change. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and received an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California.