The Hemingway family has had their share of tragedy. Mariel Hemingway has an acting resume that stretches over 3 decades – a strong, successful career in anyone’s eyes. However, her family’s legacy is not only that of fame…it also is that of deep anquish. Mariel’s well-known novelist grandfather Ernest Hemingway was only one of the seven people over four generations in her family to commit suicide. In what seems to be a plaque for this family, Mariel is attempting to end the cycle. With her sister Margaux’s suicide 15 years ago, she finds that she still suffers from the heartache today. That internal pain will play a main role in the film Seven Suicides produced for OWN by Academy Award-winning Barbara Kopple.

Seven Suicides will cover the devastation left for us to bear when someone close to us commits suicide. “It’s about triumph, and overcoming stigmas and giving people the permission to address that this is their life,” Mariel shared. “It’s now time for me to step into the shoes of helping other people with this journey.”
With suicide being the 10th leading cause of death in America (and on the rise), experts believe that 90% of those people have diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death – meaning that this can be prevented. The more public awareness the better! OWN has no set air date for the film at this time, but I will keep you posted.

Until then, you can catch Mariel’s recent speech about suicide at McLean Hospital’s 200th Anniversary. She speaks for around a 17 minutes beginning at the 33 minute mark. Enjoy!