Short Film — 2013

Social Suicide

A film about cyberbullying

Filmed, Edited & Performed by Mahdi Khmili

Short Film · March 2013

Bullying has always been dangerous. It destroys confidence, isolates people, and in the worst cases, pushes them toward suicide. Today, technology has given it a new form: cyberbullying. Through social media, online communities, and gaming platforms, millions of people, especially teenagers, experience harassment in what has become a second life for many of them.

This is what I call Social Suicide.

This short film, made in March 2013, may seem humorous or even absurd at first, but its message is serious. Behind every joke, every hateful comment, every public humiliation, or every invasion of someone's private online world, there is a real human being. Too many people have lost their lives because of bullying, rejection, and online abuse.

As Vincent O'Sullivan wrote in The Next Room: "If you are different from the rest of the flock, they bite you."

When I made this film, I wanted to remind my friends, my family, and everyone who watches it not to let the internet define their worth. The online world is only a part of life, not life itself.

And to those who think bullying, mocking, or hacking someone for entertainment is harmless: it isn't. It never has been. Bullying hurts people. It destroys lives.

We also shouldn't forget that those who bully are often carrying pain of their own. We need to protect every child, whether they are being bullied or doing the bullying. They all deserve understanding, guidance, and support.

Difference should bring us together, not divide us. Every person has their own identity, story, and beauty. Our differences are what make humanity interesting. If we were all the same, the world would be a much less meaningful place.

We are different. Built different. Look different. But we are all human, and we all have feelings. What moves us may differ from one to another, but we still feel sadness, joy, and everything in between, the same. Let's not hurt each other's feelings — we all know how bad it feels to be hurt.

— Mahdi Khmili

Filmed, Edited & Performed by —Mahdi Khmili
Year —2013