EXIT

EXIT: THE APPEAL OF SUICIDE is an evangelistic outreach video from Ray Comfort about the epidemic of suicide. The video begins with an overview of many of the recent celebrity deaths, many of which were caused by depression and substance abuse, and resulted in the taking of their own life, like that of the late Robin Williams. According to the world Health Organization, 800,000 people take their life every single year.

Ray Comfort also does street interviews where he asks passerby’s if they have had depression, all of which admit that they struggle with various levels of depression. As Comfort asks the random passerby’s more questions, it turns out that not only have many of them contemplated suicide, but many of them had attempted suicide multiple times. Comfort shows that to many of the 350,000 million worldwide who struggle with depression, suicide feels like a good way to end it all, because it’s an escape. Addressing the topic from a spiritual mindset, Comfort shows how fear of dead is actually a natural response, because if we’re not in right relationship with God, we should fear death.

Though the editing and format is choppy as a movie, EXIT: THE APPEAL OF SUICIDE’s main purpose is to present “suicide curious” individuals with hope, not just that they’re valuable to those around them, but their value as image bearers of God. With a clear evangelistic message, EXIT will resonate with a lot of individuals. With news that people searching for ways to commit suicide spiked dramatically after the release of Netflix’s TV series 13 REASONS WHY, EXIT seems to be a fast response to individuals on the line. The video ends with helpful solutions for those people as well.

While EXIT doesn’t tackle depression and suicide comprehensively, for anyone grappling with suicidal thoughts, it’s definitely worthwhile viewing. Caution is advised because of the intense subject matter centered around suicide, and some disturbing images.