Mental Illness On The Big Screen
A long time ago, at least in blogging terms, I composed a list of some of my favorite movies that have a mental health theme. The Amazon links are basically to keep my reading library in check. Anyway lets get on with the list
1. Reign Over Me – If you ever wanted a movie that shows the difficulty of living with PTSD then this is it. Reign Over Me starring Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith and Liv Tyler is about a man who lost his family in the September 11 tragedy and the way he has been able to cope is by basically not acknowledging his life before 9/11. When a college roommate reenters his life slowly the man comes to terms with what happened. This movie is the closest film I have seen to shown the incredible difficulty of living with PTSD from triggers to coping skills Reign Over Me covers everything.
2. Girl Interrupted – It is almost embarrassing the number of times I have seen this movie but the ease it is to relate to the characters tends to justify it. Girl Interrupted stars Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie plus a number of talented actors. Winona Ryder character enters a mental health facility after a failed suicide attempt and we spend the next year watching her dealing with her own personal demons plus those of the other patients on the ward. Angelina Jolie was awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lisa.
3. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest – There is a number of reasons why I like this particular movie (1) Jack Nicholson portrayal of Randle McMurphy is one of the top performances of an actor (2) It shows how far mental health has come (3) The cast of characters makes One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest an enjoyable movie.
4. A Beautiful Mind – A Beautiful Mind is based on the true story of John Nash a mathematics genius who was also dealing with the chaos that comes with a schizophrenic diagnosis. This movie is about hope and overcoming with a wonderful message that will not soon be forgotten. A Beautiful Mind stars Russel Crowe and Jennifer Connelly.
5. Forrest Gump – A lot of people will say that Forrest Gump is not a mental health movie but for me it deserves to be on this list. Forrest Gump played by Academy Award Winner Tom Hanks is a story that always lifts my mood. Through the incredible journey of Forrest Gump this movie will put a smile on your face and see the world a little bit differently
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I’ve watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at least a dozen times. Nicholson was brilliant in this film.
I really have to see Girl Interrupted sometime. I’ve seen all the rest and like them.
I watched A Beautiful Mind for the umpteeth time last night, as it turns out. I love that message of hope, and when I feel down, it brings me right up.
Girl Interrupted, Beautiful Mind, and One Flew over the Cookoo’s Nest are 3 of my favorite movies, too.
I just watched a canadian film which was nominated for awards last year (2007) although I’d never heard of it: “Lars and the Real Girl” is about a man who is delusional and suffering mental illness. Oddly, the jacket of the dvd said it was “whimsical,” “hilarious” and “funny” mostly it was not. It was touching, though, depicting the very opposite world experienced by most people with mental illness – this small town embraced the man and accepted his foibles until he passed through to a better place (mentally). Remarkable and unexpected. You might like it? It does not expose the illness so much as fantasize that the world could be a better place for people with mental illness.
There seems to be a lack of good mental health films that are both entertaining and accurate. Normally when a mental illness is shown it has to do with a criminal psychopath or another extreme example. As for Lars And The Real Girl I have never heard of it much less seen it but I will look out for it now. Take care