5 Good Movies About Mental Disorders You Must Not Miss
Mental disorders affect a large proportion of the world’s population. Around 450 million people suffer from them. Therefore, it is no wonder that many interesting films have been made about mental disorders over the course of history.
By portraying their psychological idiosyncrasies, the characters become more complex and rich, and also help viewers gain a new perspective on mental disorders.
Excitement, dramatic or romantic comedy, science fiction, drama… here we present five interesting films about mental disorders.
This film is based on an autobiographical bestseller written by Mary Jane Ward in 1946, and tells of the horrific difficulties experienced by the protagonist in a general mental hospital.
Olivia de Havilland brilliantly plays the newlywed author who is admitted to a mental hospital after showing signs of suffering from a mental disorder.
The cure turns out to be worse than the disease, in the form of the horrific methods – such as the so-called “snake pit” – that are used in the institution to aggravate their mental state.
The Snake Pit was the first Hollywood film to deal openly with the taboo subject of patients in mental hospitals during the post-war period. It was such a well-made thriller that it was nominated for six Oscars, but won only one for sound, probably due to the controversy that arose around it.
In this drama comedy, Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) is a rude radio presenter who does not hesitate to insult the listeners who call in to his program. One of them misinterprets this as a message and kills seven people in a bar full of yuppies.
The guilt associated with his narcissism causes him to fall into an emotional collapse. Three years later, he meets Parry (Robin Williams) – an unbalanced, confused tramp who lost his wife in the bar massacre.
Jack becomes an exceptional partner to Parry, who suffers from post-traumatic psychosis and paranoia, in addition to schizophrenia.
The parallel with the legend of “Fisher King” is maintained throughout the film: the characters need a cure, and both constitute the other’s salvation in their hunt for the Holy Grail in New York’s metropolitan jungle.
In this romantic comedy, love blossoms between people with mental disorders. Benny (Aidan Quinn) is her sister Joon’s guardian (Mary Stuart Masterson), as she suffers from schizophrenia.
After a crazy bite in poker , they are forced to live with Sam (Johnny Depp) – an extravagant man who works as a mime artist. As they say, there is someone for everyone, and Joon and Sam fall in love with each other.
Science fiction also takes advantage of the possibilities offered by the lack of mental stability to create fantasy worlds, as in this story of parallel realities and time travel.
This film, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze, tells the story of the unusual experiences of a schizophrenic, sleepy teenager (played by Gyllenhaal) who possesses great imagination and intelligence.
Donnie avoids death thanks to the emergence of a giant, demonic rabbit named Frank, who in addition to providing him with superpowers also foresees the doom of the world.
Donnie Darko could not be shown in cinemas due to the attack on the World Trade Center, but that did not stop its success.
This indie film, which embraces David Lynch’s style, shows the life of Curtis LaForche – a family man living in a small town in Ohio with his wife and daughter.
Curtis begins to have strange apocalyptic dreams. At the same time, his life begins to fall apart, and he decides to build a storm shelter on the back of his house.
His visions and increasingly unusual behavior make us wonder whether the real reason for the construction is to protect his family from the danger he foresees or from himself.
Hope you like them!
