Here One Day

A daughter listens to her mother’s voice after an unthinkable loss

When filmmaker Kathy Leichter moves back into her childhood home following her mother’s suicide, she uncovers a hidden box of audiotapes, each labelled in her mother Nina’s handwriting. Recorded over many years, the tapes capture Nina Leichter reflecting on her life, her marriage, her family relationships, and her long struggle with bipolar disorder. Overwhelmed by grief, Kathy cannot bring herself to listen to them and leaves the tapes untouched for sixteen years.

When she finally returns to these recordings, her mother’s voice becomes the emotional centre of Here One Day. Through these intimate audio diaries, the film offers rare access to the inner life of a woman living with mental illness, revealing moments of clarity, doubt, hope, and despair. Nina speaks candidly about her condition, her fears, and her need to make sense of her thoughts, wondering whether anyone will ever hear her words.

Interwoven with Kathy’s own reflections, the film examines the complex relationships within the family and the enduring ripple effects of suicide on those left behind. Both deeply personal and socially resonant, Here One Day seeks to reduce stigma, confront silence, and encourage open conversation around mental health and suicide. By transforming private recordings into a shared experience, the documentary invites viewers to listen more closely and to consider mental illness with greater empathy and understanding.