If it bleeds, it leads. In response to such sentiment, reporter Christine Chubbuck committed suicide on live television on July 15, 1974, in Sarasota, Florida. This thoughtful, emotional and compelling film delves into Christine's character and likely motivations for taking her life just shy of her 30th birthday. Dreams of success in both her professional and personal life turned into a series of disappointments and troubles. Assigned to cover dull stories and turned down for promotions by the good ole boys club at her workplace that favored looser women, Christine also had health and family woes and a patronizing love interest. Awkward, often unapproachable and introverted, Christine was also intelligent, amiable, creative and kindhearted. She volunteered at a children's shelter where she presented short plays with puppets named Tangerine and Dragon. Her news ideas seemed brilliant and promising if they were just given the opportunity to succeed, yet none of this mattered in the network's drive for "juicier" and cheaper stories.
In this true story the ending is already known, yet the film is still suspenseful and fascinating. What is remarkable is that attitudes regarding the sensationalism of the news and the treatment of depression have not changed much since the 1970s. You'd think we might have learned something from this story if not from our own experiences since then. The story reminds us to "get to know the people around us," said the script writer after the showing at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Rebecca Hall is incredible in her portrayal of Christine. Christine's death is not overly dramatized. I liked the soundtrack that included a John Denver song.
