Make sure you have tissues when you sit down to watch the new ABC TV series In Limbo – you may need them.
But prepare yourself for this too — there will be laughs.
It's the lighter moments that drive home the immense loss felt by each of the characters, who in their own way grieve the death of Nate (Bob Morley) to suicide.
When the show begins, Nate appears to be very much alive.
He's sparring with his best mate Charlie (Ryan Corr) who is preparing a eulogy.
It later becomes clear that it's Nate's eulogy Charlie is prepping. And Nate is a ghost — or as he explains — he's in limbo and needs Charlie's help to transition.
Ryan Corr (House of the Dragon, Holding the Man, Packed to the Rafters) puts on an exceptional performance as Charlie.
It feels like he's quite often on the verge of tears, but for many scenes throughout the series he wears an expression on his face that feels both vulnerable and stoic — an expression that can only be described as truly heartbreaking.
It's Corr's skill as an actor (he's been acting since he was a pre-teen) that draws you into Charlie's world, making you want to reach out and just give him a big hug — if he'll accept it.
"When you read scripts, usually within the first 15 pages, you're either held or you're not," Corr told ABC News.
"And when I first read this one, firstly, I hadn't read anything that was quite like it tonally before.
"I was laughing and then almost immediately after, in the scene, (I thought) oh, maybe I shouldn't be."
This is the brilliance of In Limbo — that balancing act between humour and tragedy — this is why the series is so good.
Corr also cites the creative team behind it as a key reason why he signed on. Created by Lucas Taylor and written by Taylor and Tamara Asmar, In Limbo is directed by Trent O'Donnell and David Stubbs. The producers are Jennifer Cummins, David Jowsey, Angela Littlejohn and Greer Simpkin.
"Interestingly, I feel like In Limbo, in some ways is more about life than it is about death," Corr said.
"It's about how we keep going. It's about how families come together after the fact. It's about how we move forward. It's about looking for answers, but not necessarily finding them.
"And I think interestingly, in death, Nate sort of helps Charlie in his life. And in the pursuit of looking for answers for why Nate may have suicided, he actually discovers a huge amount about himself and that he might not be in a safe place mentally and he might need to start processing some things that he hadn't been quite aware of beforehand."
Corr points out that the Nate we see on screen is through Charlie's filter and may not be Nate per se.
"There's a way to watch it in which he's just a manifestation of Charlie's.
"So, he's not a ghost. He's not actually there. It's just something that Charlie has created in order to cope and to move forward.
"And if you think about it that way, the Nate that he's producing and that he's manifested may not be… who Nate actually was. It's who Charlie needs him to be in that moment, or maybe he remembers him being funnier than he was or more aloof than he was or more stand-offish."
There isn't always an answer within reach
In Limbo may provide some comfort to those left behind who have questions, just not in the way they may think.
"I think what it does do is suggest that the answers are almost always unattainable," Corr said.
"Perhaps Nate didn't have them himself. And that may always be the case. And I think it's often the people that are left behind that it's the hardest for.
"They are often in dire need as they search for those answers. But the idea that it's okay not to have those. And the idea that it's about how you stick with those that you have around you and support those that you have around you in life, even though death is a part of it, is the full idea around it."
Corr said he hopes the series moves people and encourages them to be more truthful about how they feel.
It's likely you or someone you know has an intimate knowledge of this issue
Dr Zac Seidler is a clinical psychologist who worked on set as a consultant to the cast and crew. He's also the director of mental health training at Movember, a leading charity raising funds and awareness for men's health.
Dr Seidler laid out the alarming stats — seven men a day on average die by suicide in Australia.
He said to those around him, Nate didn't seem to have any signs of mental illness or even distress.
"That's a really common experience amongst men who take their lives," Dr Seidler said.
"They come in all shapes and sizes, they look and feel and sound really, really different.
"But Lucas, who was writing the scripts, made very clear that there was a certain type of man that he was trying to reflect here, which is someone who is that happy-go-lucky life of the party, everything seems fine.
"And then disaster strikes, and there is a subset of the male population where that exists.
Dr Seidler said, sadly, these men are the hardest to reach because they're not necessarily in contact with the health system from the outset.
"They're very good at hiding what's going on for them. And so, they don't bring about a lot of concern amongst those who love them."
Dr Seidler wants viewers to lean into the program.
"For those who are watching, I hope that it provides a sense of respite to normalise what is a very common experience in this country," Dr Seidler said.
"And it also gives depth to knowing really what is left behind in the wake of a death and to give solace, I guess, to the survivors, and those with lived experience — the bereaved — who are always the ones left to pick up the pieces and hold on to that grief for a very long time."
Dr Seidler said many men lack robust social connections and don't feel a sense of belonging in society and In Limbo is ultimately about mateship and the power of the relationships many crave.
"There's a lot of humour, it's very funny and that was for good reason, which is that there is deep humanity in this.
"And the idea that suicide is some ungodly act, that it's the most horrific thing that someone is so selfish to do, we really want it to not lean into that because there is deep complexity and pain and suffering behind someone's decision to do this.
"And we wanted to make sure that everyone is aware of where this comes from, and how to look out for it and how to respond pre-emptively in future to try and stop men dying too young."
In Limbo starts tomorrow, Wednesday May 24, at 9pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
