Mental Illness in FilmTYLER MILLER

Introduction

It is quite a bold move to tackle a serious issue within a film, it is done a lot in the industry and is often a key theme used in dramas. However it is important to make sure that the content of your film is not going to offend anyone or be too upsetting that it will reduce potential audiences. Here are a list of films which revolve around mental illnesses, and manage to portray the theme without being disrespectful, but simultaneously depict the emotional and social problems which mentally ill people deal with.

Fight Club

Fight Club is a good example of a film which uses mental illness as an underlying factor to a film which at first looks as if its going to be an action film. The mental illness involved is multiple personality disorder, which is often confused with schizophrenia, the main character turns out to have a disorder in which another character turns out to be his other personality. This isn’t a film which deals with the disorder in a serious light, but does include some interesting story twists and enigma codes.

Girl Interrupted

This film portrays mental illness with a stronger sense of realism, it sees a depressed young woman being moved to a mental institution after attempting to commit suicide. She has borderline personality disorder and befriends other women in the institution including one pathological liar a burn victim and a sexually abused girl. This film focuses on mental illness as opposed to having it be a background to the main plot.

A Beautiful Mind

This is a film I have previously looked at for its depiction of a schizophrenic, based on a true story, the mental illness within the film does not become apparent until half way through with a bit of a shock. This is cleverly done using the previous events of the film which seems to be the case that the main character is becoming enthralled in a conspiracy, until it is revealed he is schizophrenic which actually makes sense. The film deals with the effects that the illness has, not only on the subject but also on their loved ones. It is very saddening to see his relationship with his wife being torn apart by his illness, she is clearly distressed by losing the husband she knew and stressed from having to care for him.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

This film shows the struggle of a young man trying to keep to keep his family stable, with no father figure he has to step in as the breadwinner and in turn take care of his autistic younger brother. This is a beautifully shot film which shows mental illness in a hopeful and sympathetic light.

American Psycho

This film gives a bad representation of mental illness, this is a horror film which includes elements of disturbing humour and gore. The main character seems to have a serious mental illness which inclines him to commit gruesome murders however at the last minute a twist suggests that all the events that have occurred were all in his head, this changes the mental disorder to schizophrenia. I do not think that the film is particularly sympathetic towards mental illness, it supports the misleading idea that mental illnesses such as schizophrenia lead to psychopathic behaviour.

I think that films which use mental illness as the background to a less serious plot can sometimes be unsympathetic, I think that Fight Club is too light-hearted about severe illnesses and could be hurtful to some people, Psycho also could give a false representation of mental illness. However other films have proved that films involving mental illness can be appropriately serious and very emotionally provoking.