Community invited to viewing of “Listen.”
Working with students in middle and high school for more than a decade was eyeopening for filmmaker Erahm Christopher, who grew up in Linden.
Though he was making educational movies about social issues for use in schools, he was beginning to see that one vital piece of the puzzle was often missing.
“There’s a real void of films that capture the essence of the youth voice,” he said.
Movies often emphasized the communication gaps between young people and adults, and between teen cliques, although all of those groups had more in common than not, he said.
“Through my work with youth, I really wanted to create a film that bridges the social divide,” Christopher said.
From that — and real stories he heard from the real teens and tweens who inspired his characters — Christopher crafted “Listen.” The movie follows teens from different walks of life who yearn to connect with each other and the adults in their lives, but miss important chances to do so. The adults, in turn, miss the teens’ attempts to connect.
“Because these moments are missed, you see the chaos, tragedy and loss unfold,” Christopher said.
His goal with the movie was to show youths and adults alike that they share a lot of worries and stressors. Adults worry about body image, self-esteem and coping with life’s challenges, and so do young people. People of all ages may want to have conversations about these issues, but they struggle to share how they feel.
“I found that there was a consistent statement being said by students wherever I went, whether it was Stockton, L.A., Rome, Italy or Montreal, Canada. It was ‘Nobody listens to us,’” Christopher said. “What they were really saying is, ‘No one is paying attention
to how we really feel.’”
Feeling unheard, or hearing mostly negative comments, can be damaging to people’s mental health. It can also make them afraid to be vulnerable and open up about what they’re feeling.
Christopher wanted his film to help remove the shame that surrounds being vulnerable. He hopes that if teens can reach out to each other and to adults for help navigating life’s challenges, they can avoid getting trapped in drug use, gang life, or suicidal ideation.
He also wanted a movie that would encourage people to reflect on their lives and communities instead of forget their troubles. While reflecting can be difficult, it can also lead to changes for the better, he said.
He shared the story of one school in New Brunswick, where educators had the opportunity to show “Listen” but worried that it would be too difficult for their students. An anonymous survey had shown that 5 percent of the students had considered taking their own lives at one point.
But in the end, the principal chose to show the movie and hold a 45-minute discussion afterward — a requirement for an early screening, Christopher said.
“The conversation was phenomenal,” he said.
Several of the students shared that being able to have a conversation about difficult topics without fear of judgment was important to them.
“Hopefully, more people will want to have these conversations,” Christopher said. “To hear that it’s happening makes me want to get it out to more people.”