(This article deals with the subject of suicide and its prevention. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out immediately to relevant authorities. Please remember to seek trained medical professionals for diagnosis and treatment of depression and other psychiatric disorders.)
Starring talented young Kiwi actor Thomasin McKenzie, Australian TV series Totally Completely Fine has got critics in the region particularly pleased. But acting apart, it is the show’s theme that is equally deserving of praise especially since it is clearly inspired by true events involving one individual’s selfless actions that moved the whole world just over a decade ago.
Totally Completely Fine is a dark comedy show written by Gretel Vella and directed by Lucy Gaffy. It deals with a rather painful reality in Australia (and several parts of the world) — suicide jumping. But the show takes a route that would perhaps inspire many grappling with what they think is a dark world to see the light of hope.
Certainly, therefore, in the river of the Korean dramas in which we are swimming to our delight these days, a fresh stream has just joined from Down Under — and we are Totally Completely Fine with it.
Everything to know about the Totally Completely Fine TV series
What is Totally Completely Fine about?
Makers Sundance Now, Stan and Fremantle Australia have said that Totally Completely Fine is “inspired by true events.”
The TV show revolves around Vivian Cunningham, a young girl in her 20s who inherits a cliffside property owned by her late grandfather.
When Vivian moves in, she discovers that suicidal strangers visit the property to jump off the cliff and that her grandfather spent years talking hundreds of them out of it.
Inspired, Vivian saves the life of a runaway bride named Amy who joins her as a housemate and helps her rescue others with suicidal thoughts.
Cast of Totally Completely Fine
The lead role of Vivian Cunningham is played by Thomasin McKenzie. Contessa Treffone essays Amy.
Devon Terrell plays Dane, a psychologist who offers to help Vivian. Brandon McClelland and Rowan Witt play Vivian’s siblings, Hendrix and John, respectively.
All the main actors except McKenzie are Australian.
What are the ‘true events’ that inspired Totally Completely Fine?
Though its pivotal characters appear to have no resemblance, the Australian TV show has drawn inspiration from the life of a hero who saved many from committing suicide.
His name was Don Ritchie, and he often approached strangers who came to The Gap to end their lives with a smile on his face and the words, “Can I help you in some way?”
The Gap is a rocky cliff at the entrance to the world-renowned Sydney Harbour, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Ritchie’s house was located just across the street on the cliff. To most, the site might appear as a scenic spot, but the place is notorious as Australia’s most dangerous suicide location.
Born in 1926, Ritchie served in World War II as a Royal Australian Navy sailor and subsequently became a life insurance salesman. In 1964, he began saving the lives of people who arrived at the cliff across his house to commit suicide. He would keep a watch on the cliff from the window of his home, which opened towards it and approached anyone he instinctively understood was at the spot to end their lives.
Officially Ritchie is believed to have saved around 160 lives, but his family claimed that he saved around 500. For his selfless service to humanity, Ritchie was honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2006.
“I have spoken to many, many (people), just that way of saying ‘what are you doing over here? Please come and talk to me, come over and have a cup of tea, come and have a beer,'” Ritchie said in an interview in 2008, adding, “A big percentage of them came and talked to me.”
Ritchie, who was famously known as the Angel of the Gap, died in 2012 aged 86. His death was mourned by the entire country, with many senior lawmakers paying their tributes.
The following year, a memorial to his name, the Don Ritchie Grove, was opened at Watsons Bay.
What are critics saying on Rotten Tomatoes about Totally Completely Fine?
The TV series Totally Completely Fine has a rating of 100 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes based on six reviews.
“An inquest into the twentysomething allure of being labelled “a hot mess” alongside a snapshot of a mental health crisis, Totally Completely Fine is genuinely one of the most ambitious Australian series of the streaming age,” wrote Craig Mathieson in The Age.
James Croot of Stuff.co.nz showers praise on McKenzie.
“Yes, there’s a certain similarity in the strength of character they all need to survive their respective ordeals, but here McKenzie displays a so far reasonably untapped penchant for comedic timing and physical humour that really sells Vivian Cunningham to the audience,” he wrote in his review.
(Hero and Featured image: Courtesy of 2022 FremantleMedia Australia Pty Limited, Create NSW/IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, going by the 100 per cent ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, the Australian TV show is worth watching.
As of now, it is not clear if 'Totally Completely Fine' will have a season 2.
Yes, the Australian TV show is based on true events which can be narrowed down to one iconic hero who saved around 160 people who wanted to end their lives.
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Written by
Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
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