A major fight or a massive action scene is not necessary for an engaging or thrilling movie.
In fact, more often than not, the most compelling movies—or elements of movies—come from going internally for sources of conflict since these might seem more authentic and familiar to viewers than any gunfire or chase.
We’re discussing narratives that examine mental illness and the effects that different illnesses may have on people’s lives, relationships, and other aspects of their existence.
And while there is still much too much stigma associated with mental illness in contemporary society, it is eroding. Popular depictions of the condition in popular movies can play a big role in this.
Although the idea of movies focusing on or mentioning mental illness is not new, the variety of genres that do so now is greater than ever.
A conversation on mental illness—and mental health—can be found practically anywhere, from romantic comedies to action movies.
In fact, a film need not even be about mental disease or mental health to contribute to the ongoing discussion in the community. That might help to normalize the discourse, and some of the films on our list below excel at doing just that.
Although the list that follows is by no means comprehensive, it does cover a lot of areas. While some films are excellent and others are merely okay, they all do an excellent job of fostering the discussion that it is crucial for all of us to be having.
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Silver Linings Playbook
Silver Linings Playbook, which is based on the same-named book by Matthew Quick, closely follows its two central figures.
Jennifer Lawrence (in her Oscar-winning performance) plays a widow coping with her own mental illness in the wake of her husband’s passing. Bradley Cooper plays Pat, a devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan who has been diagnosed as bipolar and recently discharged from a stint in a mental institution.
Despite these ostensibly serious subjects, the film is a beautiful romantic comedy that demonstrates how two individuals with very different problems can still discover greatness in one another even when they aren’t actively looking for it.
Additional excellence is provided by the performances of Robert DeNiro, Jackie Weaver, and Chris Tucker, and fantastic music.
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a masterpiece by director Milos Foreman, is arguably the most well-known film ever created about mental illness. The film, which is rightfully regarded as a classic, follows a criminal who claimed insanity (Jack Nicholson) as he leads his fellow inmates in a revolt against the exploitative nurse (Louise Fletcher).
3. Girl, Interrupted
Girl, Interrupted, directed by James Mangold (Logan, Walk the Line), is about a young lady (Winona Ryder) who winds up in an institution after making an unsuccessful suicide attempt.
She meets another young woman (Angelina Jolie) inside the facility (named Claymoore), and the movie examines how these characters develop over the length of her 18-month incarceration.
Girl, Interrupted, which takes place in the late 1960s, is an intriguing modern-day viewing because it shows how attitudes around mental illness and health developed between the 1960s and 1999 (the year the movie was released), as well as how those attitudes have altered since then. Based on the same-titled book by Susanna Kaysen.
4. The King of Staten Island
The King of Staten Island, the newest film on our list, continues a recent trend of Judd Apatow movies where he permits his lead actor to co-write the movie in order to convey (some version of) their own tale.
Therefore, The King of Staten Island mimics the plot points of Pete Davidson, the show’s star. He portrays a little boy from Staten Island who lost his father when he was very young and has lived his entire life with despair and a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
The film depicts the major events in Davidson’s life as well as the interactions between that character and those around him, such as his mother (Marissa Tomei), sister (Maude Apatow), friends, and his mother’s boyfriend. The comedy features plenty of the trademark Apatow and Davidson laughs.
5. Black Swan
Everything makes sense once you realize that Darren Aronofsky, a virtuoso at depicting someone steadily losing their sense of reason, directed Black Swan. Natalie Portman won an Oscar for playing a ballerina who gets a highly sought-after part in a ballet production and struggles to handle the pressure that follows.
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