The Flemish Centre for Suicide Prevention: Reading Minds

In this new spot directed by Jara Moravec through HAMLET, The Flemish Centre for Suicide Prevention urges men to seek help, and to encourage anyone close to someone they think is not alright, to ask. Research has shown that men tend to isolate themselves socially and emotionally, they do not recognise their own suffering, sometimes until it's too late, and suffer from a greater sense of shame when they suffer from psychological problems. In short, men find it hard to talk about their feelings. The Flemish Centre for Suicide Prevention have observed that resistance to talking and sharing feelings occurs in two scenarios. The first one is that men experiencing mental health issues feel isolated and don't feel able to seek help to talk about their problems. The second is that men who sense that another man is suffering often do not feel comfortable making the approach to see if they need help.
Agency: Lucy

Responding to an already high suicide rate among Flemish men aged 25 to 60, the organisation has collaborated with creative agency Lucy and international production company HAMLET to create ‘Reading Minds’, an online campaign with the dual purpose of not only urging men to seek help, but also to encourage anyone close to someone they think is not alright, to ask. 'Reading Minds' which will run on the centre’s social channels and website. Directed by Jara Moravec, the spot is set in the isolated, solemn surroundings of a car wash. A car with two men approaches a car wash. They stop the car, wind up the window and let the wipers glide over the car. A heavy awkward silence descends around them, and the audience becomes privy to the individual thoughts going through the mind of each man. In reference to the two above-mentioned scenarios, one of the men is suffering, he doesn't see a way out, but he doesn't feel able to talk about it. His partner knows he has something on his mind, but also doesn't feel comfortable asking him. The suspense builds in the confined, airless, environment of the car, until someone finally plucks up the courage to talk. He takes a breath and turns to his friend to finally break the silence.