Ida's Diary

A candid video diary of fear, resilience and the search for self acceptance

Ida’s Diary offers an unfiltered and deeply personal account of Ida, a young Norwegian woman who has spent years struggling with a turbulent emotional life caused by emotionally unstable personality disorder, also known as borderline personality disorder. For the last eight years she has used a video diary as a way to ease her mind and organise her thoughts. Through this intimate record we gain unique access to her inner world, where fear, anxiety and unpredictable mood swings coexist with determination, clarity and the wish to move forward. The documentary shows her daily effort to understand herself, to confront her symptoms and to hold on to the precious moments of calm that help her continue.

Ida introduces herself directly to the camera with a simple and disarming statement. She is twenty four years old and lives with a diagnosis that shapes every part of her life. From that moment, the film guides us through her personal testimony of living with addictions, emotional volatility, suicidal impulses and self harm. The internal struggle is matched by an external reality in which mental illnesses remain widely misunderstood and are often met with fear or judgment. Ida’s diary reveals both the psychological intensity of her condition and the additional weight of navigating a society where this experience is rarely accepted or supported.

One of the many powerful moments captured in her recordings shows Ida standing before her bathroom mirror. Frightened by what she perceives as a demonic reflection, she turns away before returning to the camera to verify what she believes she has seen. The sequence follows her closely as she confronts the hallucination and slowly tries to understand what her mind is showing her. Scenes like this demonstrate the gravity of her experience, yet they remain free of sensationalism because the material comes directly from her own hand. She is documenting her life with remarkable honesty, inviting the viewer to see what she sees and to recognise the strength behind her attempt to make sense of her condition.

Director August B. Hanssen expands the emotional depth of Ida’s video material with carefully placed images and a soundtrack by Topscore that adds a subtle electronic atmosphere. These elements respect the original diary while giving the audience space to reflect on its complexity. The result is a film that explains mental disorders through the perspective of someone who lives with them every day, emphasising hope, identity and the courage required to pursue happiness. Ida’s Diary becomes a clear and sincere portrait of a young woman who chooses to document her reality in order to understand it, and in doing so offers one of the most honest portraits of the continuous struggle for daily happiness.