With your donation, we can continue documenting Rob’s story and explore what effective and groundbreaking treatments look like.
LET’S TALK ABOUT ROB - A NEW DOCUMENTARY FROM NICK WEIDNER AND CORE COMMUNITIES
When Rob was told at 45 that he had at least two years to live, he was already floundering and struggling to overcome chronic depression and multiple addictions. The news that he had terminal cancer came to him as a welcome relief, and knowing how he would die finally made him excited to live. This stark reaction, one Rob was pointedly open and thrilled about, is the driving force behind our film.
In our society, we give more empathy and understanding to someone diagnosed with cancer than we do to someone suffering from crippling mental health. And yet, what do we say to someone like Rob who found comfort in a cancer diagnosis?
Although his struggles with mental health give him a unique perspective on existential end of life questions, we see him avoid, confront, and eventually find slivers of hope in treatment as his remaining years unfold in front of our cameras. He might not be able to win the physical fight against cancer, but he can try to manage the incessant conflict that has always raged in his own mind.
In this documentary, we want to highlight why we as a society should fight depression like a cancer of the mind. We need to understand the long struggle of depression, and have more compassion for those with mental illness. Rob’s history can help open the door for meaningful discussions.
Each day is unpromised, but we’ll always be ready for whatever life brings, and for when Rob decides to frame up the final shot.
With your donation, we can continue documenting Rob’s story and explore what effective and groundbreaking treatments look like.
About the Director
Nick’s work as an editor has garnered millions of views online. His work premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival with the short Blocks directed by Bridget Moloney. He’s edited multiple pilots for MTV, a docu-series with Comedy Central and was the Post-Supervisor for the original Hulu docu-series Rocketjump: The Show. With experience editing scripted and unscripted features, Nick’s keen sensibilities in storytelling help dictate his instincts when it comes to filming in the real world.
