(This article is about suicide and its prevention. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or in crisis, please contact the authorities immediately. Remember to consult a trained medical professional for diagnosis and treatment of depression or other mental illnesses.)
Australian TV series Totally Completely Fine, starring talented young New Zealand actor Thomasin McKenzie, has been particularly pleasing to critics in the region. But acting aside, the show's themes are equally commendable, especially as it draws inspiration from a true story about one man's selfless act that changed the entire world some ten years ago.
Totally Completely Fine is a dark comedy show written by Gretel Vera and directed by Lucy Guffey. It deals with a pretty painful reality in Australia (and some parts of the world) – suicide by jumping. However, the direction of this show may inspire a ray of hope in a world that many people find bleak.
So there's certainly a new Australian addition to the river of Korean dramas we've been enjoying lately, and we're perfectly happy to embrace it.
What to know about the TV series “Totally Completely Fine”
What is “Totally Completely Fine”?
Thomasin McKenzie in a still from the TV series Totally Completely Fine. (Image credit: © 2022 FremantleMedia Australia Pty limited, Create NSW/IMDb)
Producers Sundance Now, Stan and Fremantle Australia say Totally Completely Fine is “inspired by true events”.
The TV show revolves around Vivian Cunningham, a young woman in her 20s who inherits a clifftop estate owned by her late grandfather.
When Vivian moves in, she learns that suicidal strangers visit the property to jump off the cliff, and that her grandfather has dissuaded hundreds of them over the years.
Inspired, Vivian saves the life of a runaway bride named Amy, who becomes Vivian's housemate and helps rescue other suicidal people.
Totally Completely Fine Cast
The lead role of Vivian Cunningham is played by Thomasin McKenzie. Countess Treffon plays Amy.
Devon Terrell plays Dane, a psychologist trying to help Vivian, while Brandon McClelland and Rowan Witt play Vivian's brothers, Hendrix and John, respectively.
All the main actors, except for Mackenzie, are Australian.
What was the “true event” that inspired Totally Completely Fine?
Although there may not be any similarities between the main characters, this Australian TV show is inspired by the life of a hero who saved many people from suicide.
His name was Don Ritchie, and he would approach strangers who came to the Gap to commit suicide with a smile, often asking, “Can I help you with this?”
The Gap is a rocky cliff at the entrance to the world-famous Sydney Harbour overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Ritchie's house was just across the street from the cliffs. To most people, this place may just seem like a scenic spot, but it's infamous as Australia's most dangerous suicide spot.
Born in 1926, Ritchie served in World War II as a sailor in the Royal Australian Navy before becoming a life insurance salesman. In 1964, he began saving the lives of people who came to the cliffs opposite his house to commit suicide. Watching the cliffs from his house window, Ritchie instinctively approached anyone who was about to commit suicide there through the window that opened onto the cliffs.
Officially, Ritchie is credited with saving around 160 lives, but his family claims he may have saved as many as 500. For his selfless service to humanity, Ritchie was appointed to the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2006.
“I've had so many people say, 'What are you doing here? Come and talk to me, come have a cup of tea, come have a beer,'” Ritchie said in a 2008 interview, adding, “Most of them have come to see me.”
Richie, known as the “Angel of the Gap”, died in 2012 at the age of 86. His death was mourned across the country, with many senior lawmakers paying tribute.
The following year, Don Ritchie Grove was opened in his honor at Watsons Bay.
What are critics on Rotten Tomatoes saying about Totally Completely Fine?
The TV series 'Totally Completely Fine' has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 6 reviews.
“Totally Completely Fine is one of the most ambitious Australian series of the streaming era, exploring a twenty-something's fascination with being called messed up, with a snapshot of a mental health crisis,” wrote The Age's Craig Matheson.
James Croot of Stuff.co.nz praised McKenzie:
“Certainly there are some similarities in the strength of character they all need to get through their respective challenges, but here McKenzie displays a previously under-displayed comedic timing and penchant for physical humour that really sells the appeal of Vivian Cunningham to audiences,” he wrote in his review.
(Hero and feature images: 2022 FremantleMedia Australia Pty Limited, courtesy of Create NSW/IMDb)
The information in this article is accurate as of the publication date.
