MY SISTER LIV

Director Alan Hicks brings audiences the intimate story of sisters Tess and Liv through a letter from one the other. MY SISTER LIV is a tale of one family’s relentless journey to save their loved one by diving deep into the all-consuming chaos and shocking prevalence of depression. 

Liv’s personality explodes off the screen. Her bright-eyed energy catches you off guard and makes you smile. Her musical talents are an impressive saving grace. But, her thoughts of self-harm are a relentless monster exacerbated by sexual assault and body dysmorphia. Tess’ guilt is palpable. She and her mother did everything right. They researched medications and therapy and checked in on Liv. Ultimately social media and the need for acceptance lead to dark thoughts and self-medicating with alcohol.

Home videos, Tess’ narration, and Liv’s diary entries comprise a narrative that looks and sounds like so many young people. The doc plays out in two distinct halves; before and after. My Sister Liv begins with Tess telling the audience Liv’s story. The second is Tess and their mother’s emotional devastation and how the pandemic rolled into their already heavy grief, with videos of Liv replaced by videos of Tess. Then zoom discussions of Tess speaking with young people Liv’s age and mental health professionals, expressing similar feelings, coping mechanisms, causes, and statistics. 

Having lost one of my best friends from suicide after years of reaching out and quite literally talking them off the ledge, again and again, I understand the approach to mental health is sacred. My Sister Liv also served as a wake-up call for me as a parent of a five-year-old with OCD and anxiety. Can I prevent their mental health struggles from becoming all-consuming in a world that bombards children with negative thoughts and images 24 hrs a day? I’ve never wanted to predict the future more in my entire life. DOC NYC 2022 audiences have something special at their fingertips. If My Sister Liv gets viewers to start a conversation about mental health, that’s already a hugely important win for everyone. 

 thelivproject.org