Film Club

I really really love this film!! I'd seen it once before a long time ago, I remembered thinking it was awesome but couldn't remember a lot of the details so it was very much like watching it again for the first time. Round of applause for Russle Crowe!! I can only assume that his work on this role ruined him for all future roles because he doesn't seem to have been able to act since!! But we're here to discuss mental health portrayal, so I shall shush on my disappointment on this....

I agree with Bex, the struggle he faces with medication is beautifully portrayed... albiet a very short section of the film it is very true to a lot of real life experiences. As well as dulling your symptoms it also dulls your ability to do, well, anything. Resulting in many many mental health sufferers stopping medication and getting into the viscous cycle of relapse. The problems this can cause in relationships as well was also dealt with really well. I thought Jennifer Connely did a great job of portraying his wife's struggle of watching the man she fell in love with change so dramatically under the influence of medication, the affect is has on their physical relationship and the trust element of constantly checking he is keeping up with his doses. We've all been there!!

A couple of bits which - even though served the film wonderfully - raised questions for me in terms of awareness within the general community. Firstly the way he was sectioned. Now cinematically, this was spectacular, as Bex has already mentioned the viewer experiences it in the same way that Nash would have, with the psychiatrist serving as another character in his paranoia, however, although I accept this was a brilliant way to help us experience the world of Nash, it meant that the psychiatrist had to be portrayed as a very dark, eery character with the potential to be pure evil, which is often the stereotype of psychiatrists!!

Also, his electric shock therapy. Yes, a horrific form of treatment, which was extremely common around the time of Nash's diagnosis and was the standard treatment plan for those with schizophrenia in the 1950's. However, this isnt really explained, there is simply a scene of Nash being strapped down and his wife recoiling in horror - for the unaware viewer, this again makes the notion of mental health look very scary!! So I suppose it begs the question of how do you make a good film, evoke the feelings you wish to within the viewer, without feeding stereotypes? Over all though, I would HAPPILY watch this film on a daily basis!!!