Action Item

Burnout and depression are increasingly common conditions—but is this an individual issue, or a systemic one? In this thought-provoking film, director Paula Ďurinová reflects on an experience known to many, while often endured in isolation.

Through a sequence of extreme close-ups Ďurinová evokes the sensations of burnout, anxiety and stress. A mix of blurred images and echoing sounds conveys the experience of disorientation and lack of focus, alternating with long, clear shots of seemingly insignificant details. From this isolating experience, the film moves to a group session where several young people living in Berlin talk about feelings of overload and exhaustion, dissociation and shame.

Their words, still hesitant and probing, reverberate in a more matured account, heard in the voice-over that guides us through the film. Connecting the strain that is put on our psyches to the values of our culture and various forms of violence, it culminates in a call for action that moves beyond personal healing into the domain of collective change.