More often than ever, we get to watch movies that tackle some issues we know so little about. ‘This is ME’ brought to our attention a fascinating topic that we only vaguely heard about but never got the chance to look it up – the spoon theory. For those who are not familiar with this, the spoon theory implies that we only have a limited amount of energy or spoons during the day and various activities require a different number of spoons. When that energy runs off, the person should recharge it through rest. The term is also used as a metaphor for a reduced amount of physical and mental strength.
Ally is a girl who suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME. She is on the verge of getting a new job, and for that, she has to go across town for her interview. That is easier said than done; as she is walking there, her condition occurs, making one of the most straightforward tasks to be extremely painful. She stops in the middle of the street like a device that ran out of battery, and everything except her health seems pointless further on.
We sincerely appreciate Josh Pickup for bringing up such a condition and making us aware of its existence. Such informative shorts deserve a particular category in film festivals as they tackle subjects people are most of the times afraid to engage with. A perfect metaphor regarding our first paragraph can be found in the film, as Ally lines up her daily choirs on the kitchen table, and attributes spoons to each of them. When Steve, her father comes home, he seems like he is unaware of her condition and adds more activities to her daily schedule, ruining her whole system.
This film teaches us many straightforward things, but we as humans ignore them just because they are simple. We have to communicate better, to make everyone aware of what their simple words can do to someone in need, we have to be gentle and understand each other, and above all, we have to never be passive to the problems our brothers and sisters have.
‘This is ME’ is a cry for help we all get to hear and acknowledge.
Written by Vlad A. G