Trigger warning: The following piece discusses suicide at length.

One of the research endeavors that I am currently involved in as a sociologist is an analysis of suicide representations in Philippine cinema. To this end, the 2023 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is notable because two of its eight films feature suicide as part of their plot.

The first film, Jun Lana’s About Us but Not About Us, is around an hour and a half of compelling dialogue between two characters centered on a third character who died by suicide. There is no actual depiction of the act, merely a short mention of it. In the overall flow of the film, the suicide is not given much attention and the audience will likely remember the film for several other aspects of the dialogue than this particular element of the plot.

The second film, RC Delos Reyes’ Unravel: A Swiss Side Love Story, has a more salient take on suicide. Beyond the obvious “Swiss-side” = “suicide” pun in the title, the film’s plot involves at least one character involved in suicide planning, another involved in a suicide attempt, and another who died by suicide. 

As a film, Delos Reyes’ Unravel is commendable for bringing the idea of voluntary assisted dying into the spotlight. Switzerland, and its being a venue for “suicide tourism,” is not common knowledge in the country. The film also gave useful facts about the reality of voluntary assisted dying, such as the profile of its usual patients, and the important detail that there is set of requirements/criteria before a person can be eligible for the procedure, instead of it being something that is available for everybody (e.g. one requisite to be eligible is if the patient seeking voluntary assisted death is suffering from an incurable disease and/or intolerable pain).

Unravel, however, has been scored by stakeholders such as the Youth for Mental Health Coalition for its graphic depiction of suicide. 

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) is the government agency responsible for the review and classification of television programs, movies, and publicity materials. Its current scheme classifies movies into five types, with each type having its own level of tolerance for mature themes. The following classifications, and their pertinent rules on depictions of violence, were obtained from the official website of MTRCB:    

MTRCB Classification for Movies	Rule on depictions of violence (including suicide)
G	The depiction of any violence must be mild, brief, infrequent, and unlikely to cause undue anxiety or fear to young children.
PG	The depiction of violence and suffering should be minimal, and without graphic detail; provided that gratuitous violence shall not be allowed in any case.
R-13	Violence may be allowed; provided that it is infrequent, not gratuitous, and without graphic detail, and its use is justified by the context, narrative, or character development; and taking into account the contemporary values and understanding of a Filipino viewer who is at least thirteen (13) years of age.
R-16	Violence and gore may be allowed; provided that their depiction is not gratuitous and is justified by the context, narrative, or character development; and taking into account the contemporary values and understanding of a Filipino viewer who is at least sixteen (16) years of age.
R-18	There are no restrictions on the depiction of violence except that it should not be gratuitous and that it is justified by the context, narrative, or character development; and taking into account the contemporary values and understanding of a Filipino viewer who is at least eighteen (18) years of age.

Unravel was given a PG rating, necessitating that the film’s depiction of violence and suffering should be minimal, and without graphic detail. To the film’s benefit, the most violent method of suicide featured in the film was not explicitly shown. There was, however, an explicit showing of the aftermath of the act including the injury, blood, as well as the instrument used for the act – elements that might be pushing beyond the boundaries of a rated PG film if the classification’s criteria are to be strictly observed.  

Why is there a concern over how suicide is presented in the media? In 2022, the Department of Health (DOH) released Administrative Order 2022-0004: Guidelines for Ethical and Responsible Reporting and Portrayal of Suicide in the Media, Audiovisual, and Films. The document was released by the DOH because of a concern that irresponsible depictions of suicide could trigger what has been termed as the “Werther Effect.”

What is the Werther Effect? Sociologists and psychologists both recognize the possibility of contagion in the occurrence of suicide. Contagion here means that when a suicide has taken place, there is a tendency for others to do the same – essentially producing what can be described as copycat suicides. In a previous Rappler report (Rivas, 2023), I alluded to this contagion effect to explain the case of five farmers from the same barangay who committed suicide. The Werther effect is a form of contagion that is premised on people’s exposure to suicide through a form of media.  

Why is it called the Werther Effect? In 1774, several decades before sociology and psychology were founded, a German novel entitled Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (The Sorrows of Young Werther) was published in Europe. The novel quickly rose to fame, inspiring 20 pirated editions of the work to appear since the novel’s first publication. In a fashion perhaps akin to today’s cosplay phenomenon, the costume of the protagonist, Werther, was reportedly copied and worn by people. Various merchandise inspired by the novel such as porcelain, fans, and perfume also came in high demand. Beyond this commercial success, however, the novel was also a cultural phenomenon. David Constantine, a translator of the novel, once described this socio-cultural importance of the novel: 

“Novels and poems, which are fictions made of the stuff of life, again and again will alter our decided versions of the lives we have lived and are living now. Beyond any doubt, Goethe’s Werther altered the way its readers viewed their lives; doubtless many lived or wished to live differently because of it.” (Jack, 2014)

How exactly did the novel “alter the way its readers viewed their lives?” The plot of the novel revolved around an unhappy romance that eventually ended in suicide. The intricacies of the story were inspired by the author’s own experiences which, owing to its authenticity, made it easier for the readers to relate to the tragedies and ensuing sorrows of the protagonist. According to anecdotal reports during the time, there were many cases wherein people, having read the novel and having experienced a similar romantic tragedy, imitated the actions of Werther and consequently died by suicide.

While scholars debate up to this day whether the novel indeed have that much of an effect on the suicide rates following its publication, the name has been adopted by present-day sociologists and psychologists to describe the phenomenon wherein a suicide story – be it fictional or real – may influence people to do the same.

It is for this reason that media practitioners and film directors have to be very careful in the way they present a suicide. As much as possible, the suicide should not be romanticized or packaged in a way that makes it desirable for other people to do. For example, a suicide victim should not be turned into a famous personality, because people might get the idea that doing the same can be their ticket to becoming famous (sociologists, especially in western countries, also have the same advice when dealing with suspects or those proven guilty of heinous crimes such as serial killers).

In the same vein, suicide should not be packaged as the proper reaction to problems or a way to give flavor to one’s life. The method of the suicide act is also best removed from the center of attention, as it may give people an idea of what to imitate. In today’s standards, the suggested approach when presenting suicide in the media is to focus on the availability of help for those who are thinking of doing the act. – Rappler.com

Mark Anthony M. Quintos is a Senior Lecturer, University of the Philippines Diliman; Assistant Professorial Lecturer, De La Salle University Manila; and Special Associate Professorial Lecturer, Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

The Department of Health, through the National Center for Mental Health, has a national crisis hotline to assist people with mental health concerns. The hotline can be reached at 1553, which is a Luzon-wide, toll-freelandline number, 0917-899-8727 and 0966-351-4518 for Globe and TM subscribers, and 0908-639-2672 for Smart and Sun subscribers.