How TO: Handle With Care

In 2019, Clancy Talbott moved to Toronto to attend school at Ryerson University. Since then the world went through a very large change and a period of isolation. “How TO: Handle With Care” is a short documentary about the past three years of Clancy’s life focusing on his relationship with the City of Toronto. It describes in chronological order how COVID-19 and the closing of Toronto put Clancy’s life into a tailspin. The story is told through segments incorporating instructional “How To” segments, interviews, and monologues. The documentary covers the past years of his life without telling specific detailed recreations.

Like most relationships, this story begins with the “honeymoon” portion. It takes place in the first year of university focusing on discovering new aspects about the people or in my case the city Clancy loves. Sometimes relationships change unexpectedly. At the beginning of the pandemic, the affection Toronto showed to Clancy during his first year of school was gone very quickly as we all closed inward out of fear and for safety. During the second semester of his second year as both a Residence Advisor in Ryerson’s Daphne Cockwell Complex and as a friend, Clancy had to face a lot of dark things and help close friends as they coped with self-harm, depression. This culminated in losing someone he knew to suicide. That semester, Toronto as a whole really challenged him and it was the darkest time he had yet to experience. Finally, the last act acknowledges Clancy’s current relationship with Toronto. It covers Clancy slowly rebuilding trust in himself and the city. This darker story is told through abstract segments and tone.

Rather than focusing on telling these stories verbatim, this documentary finds more light-hearted ways to communicate the same feelings. Comedic "How To" segments are incorporated into each episode. For example, during the climax, while talking about the serious topics of episode three, a comedic and roughly shot “How To: Pack a First Aid Kit” will help the audience breathe and still follow the story.