Mental health is one of the toughest issues to discuss in the public sphere. You never want to come across as exploitative or salacious when covering it, but there is always the question of whether sensitising the issue is really the problem.
That is one of the issues faced by deVINE, the new play by the RECollective that debuted this week at Auckland's Basement Theatre.
The story of two sisters, Bobby and Blair, and their children who reunite at their family vineyard to deal with an impending crisis. Every conversation and action is darkened by the family secrets that loom over them, unspoken and rarely addressed but constantly there.
The reluctance to dive deeper into the mental health issues is a missed opportunity to really confront the issues, but the respectful nature of the plot is perhaps the easiest way for a society so unwilling to discuss these matters in the open to dip a toe into the subject.
READ MORE:
• Morgana O'Reilly on directing, acting and the importance of family dynamics