26/06/2023 - Daniel Kragh-Jacobsen’s Danish webseries offers an unflinching exploration of youngsters’ mental-health issues, blending dark themes with the trials of teenage life

The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated another, equally alarming, crisis: the deterioration of mental health and increased suicide rates in the young generation. This is the core issue confronted by the new Danish young-adult webseries Get a Life (whose original title, Stadig ikke død, translates literally as “Still Not Dead”), under the direction of Daniel Kragh-Jacobsen. The show was part of the Scandi showcase at the recent Zlín Film Festival.

The first episode introduces the main character, secondary-school outcast Helga (Alvilda Lyneborg Lassen), who tries to hang herself in her bedroom. Her checklist makes it clear that this isn't her first attempt, and that hanging isn't her first choice of method – a fact underscored by a disclaimer at the beginning of each episode urging those in distress to call a suicide-prevention line. The attempt fails, and Helga must face school the next day. After her parents' divorce, she switched schools and has failed to fully integrate into the new social milieu. Meanwhile, her recently single mother bombards her with an array of new hobbies and courses, which serve as a means to manage her anxiety and free time.

Projecting an air of cockiness reminiscent of Holden Caulfield, Helga might be masking her vulnerability and insecurity following her father's departure, or a tragic event involving a close friend that seems to be the driving force behind her self-constructed nihilistic persona. Intent on making her next attempt foolproof, Helga learns of Golden Apples, pills linked to several overdoses, rumoured to offer a euphoric final exit. Fuelled by suicidal thoughts and armed with a razor-sharp wit, Helga embarks on a quest for the Golden Apples, manufactured by local bowling-alley proprietor Hesper.

In a twist of fate, Helga encounters Hesper's daughter, Ingrid (Malaika Berenth Mosendane), a school dropout who manages her father's bowling alley, and who's attempting to return to school, contrary to her father's preference for her involvement in his lacklustre prank videos. An unusual and apparently short-lived alliance between the two outcasts, each with her own motivations, thus takes shape. Emma Le Marc, the scriptwriter, creates strong female characters and introduces a male supporting role in the form of a naïve nerd, Mads (Albert Rosin Harson), who is unwittingly drawn into Helga's suicidal plot.

Get a Life, essentially a reversal of 13 Reasons Why, presents a light-hearted coming-of-age narrative, in spite of its serious central theme. Le Marc employs this taboo subject as a lens through which to examine the mental health of young people and the myriad social, psychological and emotional dilemmas they encounter. While adhering to the high-school dramedy blueprint, featuring youngsters grappling with issues on the cusp of adulthood, Get a Life closely and empathetically reflects the realities and aesthetics of Generation Z.

The webseries consists of bite-sized, character-driven episodes, suitable for viewing on any device, replete with dynamic plotting and teen irony. By intertwining the disparate agendas of Helga and Ingrid, Le Marc crafts an unexpected bond that transforms the gothic fascination with nothingness into a celebration of life and friendship. Eschewing the sentimentality and melodrama that teens often deride, the series draws attention to the importance of the mental health of young adults and the prevention of its decline.

Get a Life was produced by Denmark’s Nimbus Film. DR handles the international rights.