“Mental”, the series which examines the psychic distress of young people, prolongs the delirium

A series, alas, more topical than ever! France TV Slash unveils this Friday season 2 of Mental, French series freely inspired by the Finnish Sekasin, which follows the daily life of a group of adolescents interned in a child psychiatric clinic, the Primroses. “In season 1, the question was ‘How do you admit that you’re sick?’ notably through the course of Marvin. In season 2, the question is, “What do you do once you know you’re sick? How do you live with it?” », Explains Victor Lockwwod, co-creator and screenwriter of the series that 20 minutes met during a virtual press conference organized by France Télévisions.

How? ‘Or’ What Mental intelligently and oddly prolongs the delirium in season 2?

Tchudak! # MENTALS2 next April 2 💊
👉 on https://t.co/JRmrYvPLzo pic.twitter.com/g58ZEQ5l4V

– francetvslash (@francetvslash) March 25, 2021

This drama, awarded at the La Rochelle TV Fiction Festival in 2019, tackled a thorny theme, psychological disorders in adolescents, with delicacy, emotion and above all, a lot of humor. A Mental of steel, ready to destroy the clichés associated with mental illness, which we find in season 2. “This season 2 is that of questioning the identity and the place of pathology in this identity. I am certainly in pain, but what to do with it? Ignore it, hide it, claim it? How can I trust myself when I know that my emotions or my perceptions may be biased? Where is the truth, what is the legitimacy of my feelings? Each of the characters will question what he is deep down, face fear, doubt, shame, to discover that if it is part of him, the “disease” does not define him absolutely ”, tells Marine Maugrain Legagneur , co-creator and screenwriter of the teen drama.

“The youth unfortunately need this series”

In the midst of a health crisis, while one in two young people is suffering psychologically, and one in three young people suffers from mental health problems, Mental resonates more than ever with the news. “The mental situation of French youth is critical today. This health crisis pushed him to the limit. Mental highlights the subject, emphasizes the existence of care and de-stigmatizes it, ”said Sened Dhab, director of digital fiction for France Télévisions. “The ambition of Mental is to get young people to say when things are wrong. Here we are in a period that really requires people to talk and seek help in the face of existential distress, ”adds Victor Lockwwod.

“The psychological suffering of young people, we had already identified. The confinement has accelerated and brought to light this problem, ”underlines producer Augustin Bernard of Black Sheep Films. “We chose not to make explicit mention of the Covid crisis or of confinement to avoid dating the series too much”, announces screenwriter Marine Maugrain Legagneur.

DNA of Mental, it is “to dare humor and comedy on a subject which a priori does not lend itself to it”, and “to never be in the pathos”, summarizes the producer. The episodes of season 2 now last 26 minutes compared to twenty in season 1. “This 26-minute format offers the possibility of going further and opening the door to new characters”, rejoices Augustin Bernard.

“A much more solar season 2”

The action for Season 2 takes place in the summer, a few months after the massive cliffhanger of Season 1. “Aesthetically it changes a lot of things. This season 2 is much more solar, ”says the producer.

The characters are thus more confronted with the outside world: Simon is now in day hospitalization, Estelle has found a job. “In season 2, we support people a lot more and the camera is much more mobile,” adds director Slimane-Baptiste Berhoun. The staging is thus more than ever at the level of adolescents.

One episode was even made entirely in found footage, filmed by the character of Simon. “This episode in found footage tells even more intimately the life of Simon and what he has inside him and what he never dares to go out. The camera is a bit like his head or his heart, ”comments Louis Peres, Simon’s interpreter.

Finally, a new wind is blowing on the Primroses clinic with the arrival of new characters, such as Doctor Bourdon (Benoit Blanc). “He’s a guy who oscillates between his position as a boss and the desire to be a friend. We thought of him as a bookworm who has plenty of hyperbienveillante theories and finds himself confronted with reality, ”says Marine Maugrain Legagneur. “Dr. Bourdon is convinced that he will succeed in becoming friends with teenagers, he will be taken for a ride and become a vector of comedy”, continues Victor Lockwwod.

“Recreate something pop and flamboyant”

The little band also welcomes Max, played by Deborah Lukumuena, a teenage girl hospitalized for eating disorders. “This subject affects adolescents a lot. A large part of the young girls interned in institutions are anorexic. We needed to talk about it. We chose to take the path of bulimia anorexia because it also allowed us to address grossophobia, ”explains the screenwriter. “Bringing Deborah into the group made it possible to recreate something pop and flamboyant”, rejoices Victor Lockwwod.

This season 2 also introduces an asexual character. “The issue of asexuality interested us a lot. We realized how ignorant we were and how political this subject is, ”she continues.

Another novelty, Hippolyte, secondary character and catatonic in season 1, becomes one of the main characters of season 2. “The character of Hippolyte is especially there in season 1 for breaths of comedy. The performance of Léo Grêlé, seated in his chair, moving a finger and without saying a word, managed to capture the light. It made us want to see it in other situations, ”underlines Marine Maugrain Legagneur. “We had a lot of Hippolyte fans. He is a character that we love when he is static and catatonic, so it will be mad love if he starts to move, ”concludes Victor Lockwwod. A good delirium not to be missed!