Summer, beach on the river – the kids persuade their friend to jump on the head. They want to upload the video to the internet and get likes. Daniel jumps, breaks his spine and drowns. The warning, filmed by Daniel Rusin, youtuber appearing as “Director of Life”, is a hit on the web. The form of some is delightful, while others are repelled by the curse used as a means of expression.
- After the last vacation, 700 people permanently switched to a wheelchair only because they were careless when jumping into the water
- The spine can be broken not only by hitting the head against the bottom. It is enough to jump unskillfully and hit the water surface from a height, which then is hard as concrete
- It is difficult to see a person drowning and losing life in the water. You have to be extremely vigilant at the seaside, river, lake and at the swimming pool
- The mother appeals: “I am asking that all parents look after their children in the water. I have already pulled out a lot when it melted. And mom? She took a nap in the sun … “
Edyta Brzozowska: With your film you will probably save the health and even the lives of many people. It was with this intention that you intentionally terrified such a plot?
Daniel Rusin: Before making the video, I read a lot about the risks of a carefree jumping into the water. I realized that you can break your spine not only by hitting your head against the bottom. It is enough to jump unskillfully and hit the surface of the water, which is then hard as concrete, from a height. I was shocked by the statistics: only after the last vacation, 700 people permanently switched to a wheelchair just because they were careless when jumping into the water. I came up with the idea for this film because I know the story of a person who did it and will be disabled for the rest of his life. It was a direct impulse. I thought: vacation is coming. It is worth discussing this topic.
Young people generally dislike moralizing, but your movie has already been watched by nearly 6 million people. It’s a lot.
The response is powerful. The kids write to me: “thanks to you I won’t jump into the water without thinking”, “my friend persuaded me to jump, but I didn’t give up”. Others write that they have someone in a wheelchair in their vicinity, that an uncle, friend, cousin, or he himself broke his neck, because he once jumped on his head in an unknown place. And they warn each other: “Don’t do such a stupid thing!” The topic turned out to be important for kids and teenagers. I also get messages from my parents thanking me for this video.
The fact that you are a well-known and recognizable YouTuber helps you in this social campaign?
Yes, and I am very happy to have a young audience. Kids often run up to me on the street for an autograph, and I am proud that I find them. I run youth film workshops and even before the summer holidays the kids were happy: “The lady in religion played your film today!”
Teachers think your movie was worth showing in class?
Unfortunately, not all of them. Some are outraged because in the scene, when the young people standing on the shore see that their friend is not coming to the surface, one of the girls screams, terrified, “I fuck …”. Even a teacher wrote to me: “I will not play the video in my class because there is a curse there.” And I think that young people hate candy pictures, where everyone is beautiful and has impeccable diction. This film is life, and in life, after all, we sometimes swear in strong emotions. Fortunately, there are teachers who understand this. For example, Agnieszka wrote to me: “I have been working at school for many years and this is definitely a film for young people. Whether we like it or not, the curses only make the film credible. ” I am pleased with every signal that teachers at WOS, in history, in Polish, during the educational hour, played this film to students.
Do you also get any signals from the parents of the children?
Yes. And especially for them, I plan to make another film as part of my social campaigns. The idea was inspired by a video from monitoring a municipal swimming pool in one of the US cities. There are a crowd of people around and the baby is drowning. And no one notices it, because the children drown in silence without shouting. I already have a vision: a wide plan, lots of people, a voiceover from outside the frame says: “indicate the person who is drowning.” This scene will make viewers aware that it is really hard to see a person who is losing a life in the water. And that you have to be vigilant, watch and look around on the beach or at the pool. Parents generally only watch their children and do not react when something dangerous is happening around them. Their perceptiveness is dormant, because a lifeguard is watching the water somewhere nearby. But this is not always the case. So you have to be extremely vigilant: at the seaside, river, lake, in the pool. One mother, one of the watchers of my channel “Reżyser Życia” on YouTube, even wrote: “I also ask that all parents look after their children in the water. I have already pulled out a lot when it melted, and my mother? She took a nap in the sun … “
Why were young people so enthusiastic about your film?
Because it’s authentic. I sat down with my actors, talked, I only gave general instructions: you are to persuade me to jump to upload the film to Facebook, you, in turn, are supposed to discourage this idea. The rest cheer on the shore, clap their hands. That is why the film turned out well, because the children listened to me, they are smart and mature. There is no such chemistry with professional actors, they often star. I shot it for 40 minutes, there were only two attempts: getting in and out of the water. I assembled the material in less than an hour. Very fast action.
Why are you involved in educational campaigns as a YouTuber?
I like social topics. So far I have made a video about a girl who is persecuted by school friends because she is poor. And she collects money to give her grandfather a hearing aid for Christmas. I also published the story of a girl without hair, she in turn suffers from alopecia areata. These short documents of mine say that it is not worth paying attention to the appearance and appearances, but to what we have inside. I am also preparing for a larger topic – about suicides among young people.
Film by Daniel Rusin