A filmmaker on a journey of dealing with depression connects to a supportive community and navigates the struggles, rituals and triumphs of others with similar issues.

The characters in South Africa and Canada have the commonality of difficult personal experiences, but also their desire to overcome them. Images of transcendence are woven together with lyrical visuals and poetry to build a rich observational film.

It depicts their joy, resilience, beauty and survival despite the odds and unpacks underlying conditions such as oppression, systemic racism, and generational trauma that have led us to this point in history where black people can be vocal about mental health.

This film is born out of the frustrating and frightening experiences of neglect and violation I’ve experienced and is an exploration of mental health issues in black communities on the continent and in the diaspora through ordinary and well-known people, who share their intimate journeys with managing their own mental health.

Through different and often difficult personal reflections the film interrogates limited access to mental health services and the destructive ripple effects of neglecting mental health in South Africa and Canada.

The journey follows an array of characters, including a musician, poet, artist, comedian, medical doctor and filmmaker as they make sense of their own personal journeys with mental difficulties through reflection, creativity, confrontation and seeking professional help. By probing an issue that is neglected and often taboo, the hope is that they pave a brave new way forward that inspires an attitude change in our communities and gives people hope.

Our characters move through environments that may be dismissive and sometimes hostile to mental illness as a subject. They struggle with unpredictable inner turbulence, find enlightenment and bemusement and at times even marvel at the gifts that their minds are able to give them in their state of flux.