Student Film Focuses On Teen Suicide

Her friend committed suicide in high school.

The tragedy was a painful low point that followed Maddie Timm like her own reflection in a pane of glass.

Before she took her life, the friend had meant – many times – to attend a high school swim meet in which Timm competed. It was just one thing left undone.

When Timm enrolled at U of I, she joined the Vandal swim team and knew what her major would be. She would study film in the Journalism and Mass Media department and address suicide in one of her movies.

Timm’s film, “One Less Lonely Ghost,” which she completed as part of her capstone project, tells the story of the relationship between two friends, one living and the other a ghost who lost their battle with mental illness. It premiered at the Kino International Short Film Festival at Moscow’s Kenworthy Theater in April 2024.

“I wanted to show that the people who go through these struggles, they can choose to stay,” Timm said. “I wanted to make a film to promote awareness and to help others recognize the signs and be present for people who may be facing decisions that can lead to suicide.” 

Timm’s friend — the film character’s name is Lively — took her life in 2019. Her death was followed by the suicide of another teen acquaintance.

“It really shook our small community,” said Timm, who grew up in Mesa, Arizona. “We had not gone through anything like that before.”

The suicides in her town came on the heels of a TV made-for- television series depicting a range of social issues affecting teenagers. It told the story of a young woman who commits suicide and leaves behind a box of cassette tapes on which she has recorded the reasons she chose to kill herself.

Every day I am around these creative people and in this great small community and wonderful learning environment. It really is more than I ever expected.

— Maddie Timm. Senior. Film.

Timm’s film takes a different tack.

“The message of the Netflix series was so wrong,” Timm said. “People ended up losing their life from it. I wanted to turn the tables. My story ends on a happier note.”

Timm who grew up with competitive parents — her dad played basketball in college and was a reliable participant in Spokane’s annual Hoopfest, and her mom was a college track and field athlete — started swimming at 5 years old.

“I spent every day in the pool before and after school,” Timm said.

She became a high school standout and knew she would swim at the collegiate level.

Her other dream was to be a screenwriter and film maker.

“I was just passionate about it. I knew it was something I wanted to do,” she said.

After the suicides in her hometown, and to address the Netflix series, she also knew what her first film would be about.

“I took from those two stories,” she said. “I realized that film was how I could reach people, so the ultimate goal became to help people, to get people to form relationships and know that they are not going through these trials alone.”

The film, which includes a U of I actor and Lionel Hampton School of Music score, was filmed around the Palouse and is being pitched to other film festivals across the country. 

“We had so much great input and so much help putting this together,” she said. “I think it’s impactful. I hope it helps people. That’s the ultimate goal.”

When she pitched the story as a capstone, JAMM peers and mentors jumped on board.

“She had an impactful story to tell about suicide and mental health,” Professor Russell Meuff, director of the film and television program, said. “She was passionate and presented a clear artistic vision for her project. And she was confident in her ability to execute her plan. We love when our students can tell stories that are engaging but that also help foster conversations about important issues in our world.”

Timm’s decision to accept a swim scholarship after applying at U of I was an easy one, she said.

“I searched for universities with swim teams and film departments,” she said. “There weren’t many.”

Spokane, where her mother’s parents lived and where her dad played in Hoopfest, wasn’t far from Moscow. She had visited there a lot and its nearness gave her a sense of familiarity. When she was offered a place on the Vandal swim team, she accepted.

While at U of I, Timm got the opportunity to work on the production team for U of I athletics in addition to honing her own filmmaking, photography and screenwriting skills at JAMM. The journalism and mass media faculty helped her secure a grant as well as equipment to shoot her capstone project.

“I am so thankful I came to U of I,” Timm said. “Every day I am around these creative people and in this great small community and wonderful learning environment. It really is more than I ever expected.”

Timm is in close contact with the family of the friend who took her life, she said. She has kept them — including her friend’s three younger siblings — up to date on the film’s production and speaks regularly with her friend’s mother.

After the death, the friend’s mom apologized to Timm for not attending a swim meet with her daughter.

“I am so sorry for you,” the mother told Timm. “My daughter and I always wanted to attend a swim meet, but now she will not have the chance to watch you.”

The apology was heart rending, Timm said.

“It broke me,” Timm said. “I think learning from people who lost loved ones is really impactful. It really impressed upon me that I needed to do something for these families who have suffered like this.”

Article by Ralph Bartholdt, University Communications

Photos by Garrett Britton, University Visual Productions

Published in May 2024