I thought this documentary had an intriguing start as the filmmaker began to delve into the history of a young Las Vegas man who unexpectedly committed suicide in 2022. Having experienced the loss of a friend to suicide, the director stated she hoped to uncover answers regarding why some people take their own lives. However, despite her subsequent interviews with the family and friends of the deceased young man, who portrayed shock and disbelief over the tragedy, the film didn't provide any further answers or insights into the possible motives behind his suicide. The documentary also highlighted that the city of Las Vegas has the highest suicide rate in the United States; yet after examining statistics and incidents of each death, authorities claim to be uncertain about the reasons.
The narrative then abruptly shifted to an entirely different topic, focusing instead on nuclear waste buried in a mountain near Las Vegas. After about twenty minutes of this unexpected transition, I was puzzled as to why the topic had changed. I kept wondering if the filmmaker would reveal a common thread between the two topics-perhaps she had found evidence linking suicides to nuclear exposure? However, no such connection materialized.
As the documentary concluded, I was left a little bewildered as to what the filmmaker's intended message was. I wondered if during the film's production or editing, she felt she lacked enough footage regarding Levi's Presley's suicide to fill a feature-length documentary and decided to add the information about Yucca Mountain as a way to give it a longer running time?
The title of this documentary, 'This Much We Know,' seems fitting to me, as the film presented only surface-level facts that the public is already aware of or has access to. Unfortunately, it failed to dig deeper into either of the two topics it explored and provide any of the answers the filmmaker initially said she wanted to uncover.
The narrative then abruptly shifted to an entirely different topic, focusing instead on nuclear waste buried in a mountain near Las Vegas. After about twenty minutes of this unexpected transition, I was puzzled as to why the topic had changed. I kept wondering if the filmmaker would reveal a common thread between the two topics-perhaps she had found evidence linking suicides to nuclear exposure? However, no such connection materialized.
As the documentary concluded, I was left a little bewildered as to what the filmmaker's intended message was. I wondered if during the film's production or editing, she felt she lacked enough footage regarding Levi's Presley's suicide to fill a feature-length documentary and decided to add the information about Yucca Mountain as a way to give it a longer running time?
The title of this documentary, 'This Much We Know,' seems fitting to me, as the film presented only surface-level facts that the public is already aware of or has access to. Unfortunately, it failed to dig deeper into either of the two topics it explored and provide any of the answers the filmmaker initially said she wanted to uncover.
