Films about mental health issues can be difficult to plot successfully. Either they come off as too easily resolved, trivializing the experiences of those suffering from the trauma they depict or they become maudlin, overwhelming the audience with pain that seems to have no relief.
Mirror Stacy is mostly successful in achieving a realistic balance in how it shows someone considering suicide. Not all issues are resolved at the end of the film but there is a silent acknowledgement that mental health is a lifelong work in progress. I greatly respect how director Arabella Sharkey not only handled this so sensitively, but also combined elements of fantasy and reality in a believable, effective way.
Stacy (Franziska Blattner) is at a breaking point. Jobless, in debt, and with no friendly face to turn to she has withdrawn to her tiny room and despairs. She sees no way out until she is visited by someone she never expected. Rebecca Macleary is utterly charming, and the two women have such great chemistry together, they bring an emotional punch to this film it would not have otherwise had.
But Stacy is seen very much grounded in reality at the end, with a new strength that is inspiring and touching. Sharkey drew great performances from her tiny cast and kept her script lean, but with space for the actors to expand on the text. Mirror Stacy is a beautiful story told with wit and empathy. One of the best films I’ve seen at the festival so far.