An inspiring and motivating story; Reclamation is a documentary that shines a light on the importance of those who remain with us at our darkest points. Following the personal experience of director and producer Derek Norman, the documentary explores Derek’s road to recovery after a failed suicide attempt.
While the subtext of the film is rooted in Derek’s past, his emphasis on the journey forward is extremely engaging and emotional. Derek’s decision to focus on the future means that the documentary is a helpful tool for others who may find themselves in a similar situation. He splits the documentary into the three phases: surviving, rebuilding, and thriving.
After leaving the hospital, Derek moved in with his parents in Idaho to rest and recover. The move was only supposed to be temporary but ended up lasting longer when it became apparent that Derek’s mother’s health was declining. Despite the unfortunate circumstances that led him to stay, being immersed in the beautiful landscape of Idaho was helpful for Derek’s recovery.
However, as time moved forwards, Derek decided that he needed to move back home to be closer to his children. The rebuilding phase must begin. Despite financial difficulties and struggling to wait out long interview processes for jobs, Derek rebuilds his life with the help of his support system.
Derek talks a lot about his support system throughout the documentary, joking that he should rename it ‘The Support System Movie’. The documentary does an excellent job of drawing attention to the importance of friends and family in times of need; the importance of looking out for one another. A deep sense of gratitude emerges from the documentary, especially towards Derek’s friend Matt. Unfortunately, both Derek and Matt have lost friends to suicide. Matt speaks of the difficulty of getting Derek to open up and talk about his mental state, and that the fact this only happened after Derek’s failed suicide attempt was a terrifying reality.
Derek turns the documentary towards helping others avoid the dark place by encouraging people to communicate with their support system. We see Derek move beyond surviving and into thriving as he engages with the local music scene, capturing some great gig footage. As he importantly notes at the beginning of the documentary: not dying does not equate surviving. Nor is it living. Friends, family, laughter and love are what make all the difference.
The subject matter of Reclamation is extremely important, and Derek Norman works hard to make it engaging. With creative use of music and editing, the film is put together with great care and attention. The amount of effort put into making the documentary is greatly appreciated, and Derek has created something he can be truly proud of.
The film will be premiering on YouTube on the 9th of September.