5 of my all-time favorite movies about mental health.

Pop culture today plays an important role in shaping our opinions and views about a lot of things. These days we are all fluent in movie and TV quotes and know all the pop culture references like the back of our hands. So let’s talk about movies for a second. A feel good movie makes all our worries go away, it transports us to place where nothing can touch us and it’s an escape from our ordinary and sometimes dull lives. The power of a good movie is undefeated and on top of that when the movie talks about specific issues such as social disparity, discrimination, crime, natural disasters, etc., it makes watching the films even more interesting. Thus being an aspiring psychologist and an advocate of mental health awareness, I’m drawn to movies about mental health or psychological thrillers. Not all movies get it right, but then there are those rare masterpieces that hit the right note and make you fall in love with story, characters and everything the film has to offer.

So here are 5 such movies that talk about mental health – some focus entirely on the nature of the mental illness while others talk about mental health in a subtle yet profound manner.

    1.Girl, Interrupted

This is a 1999 American film that talks about Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). It is based on American author Susanna Kaysen’s autobiography. The protagonist in the film is an 18 year old girl who is diagnosed with BPD after having a nervous breakdown. Thereafter she is checked into a psychiatric facility, where she meets a variety of people who are diagnosed with a lot of different mental disorders such as schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, anorexia, sociopathic personality etc. The films shows Susanna’s journey as she befriends the other patients in the facility and how they shape her personality. This is a thought provoking and cerebral watch as it shows the unpleasant aspects of a psychiatric institution and how it impacts the people living there.

   2.The perks of  being a wallflower

This is a movie based on a coming of age novel. The film addresses issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and clinical depression, which the protagonist of the film struggles with since childhood. It tells the story of an introverted, socially awkward teenager Charlie who navigates the highs and lows of high school and at the same time harbours a traumatic childhood experience which has led to him having a difficult time making friends and experiencing life itself. The film beautifully shows how the troubled boy meets two high school seniors and starts enjoying life again, but at the same time doesn’t anywhere indicate that, that is all it takes to get over a serious mental illness such as depression. The movie is delightful, emotionally resonant and a truly moving.

  3.A Beautiful Mind

This is a critically acclaimed biographical film. It is based on the life of American mathematician John Nash. John Nash was a Nobel Laureate in Economics and Abel Prize winner. The film depicts the main character’s struggles with paranoid schizophrenia and delusions. The movie chronicles the journey of John Nash as a student of Princeton University who meets fellow students and roommate Charles Herman, then is asked to crack encrypted enemy telecommunications by the Pentagon and how he starts fearing his life, believing that the soviet agents are after him. The movie alluringly traces the life of the mathematician and how he grappled with the realities of his illness and how his wife supported him through this ordeal. It illustrates the realities of schizophrenia in an intelligent, suspenseful and engrossing manner.

    4.Dear Zindagi

Truly one of the best Bollywood movies made in recent times in my opinion. The film focuses on a free spirited young girl Kiara who has difficulty maintaining relationships because of some deep rooted childhood experience. For which she seeks therapy and meets the quirky yet wise therapist Jug (Jahangir Khan). Who helps her see things differently and makes her fall in love with herself and life again. The film brings attention to the need for therapy in a country like ours and spreads the message of mental health awareness. It brings to a light a lot of issues not only related to mental health but topics like feminism, independence, freedom, etc. Definitely a refreshing and insightful watch.

  5.The edge of seventeen

Although this movie garnered some criticism saying that it invalidates teenage depression, in my opinion the movie portrays the main character Nadine’s teenage angst and depression in a nuanced manner. This film is about seventeen year old high school student Nadine who has been dealing with depressive symptoms since childhood and they become even more pronounced after her father’s death who is her best friend. The film is equal parts funny and emotionally charged. It immaculately captures Nadine’s life – how she struggles to fit in since childhood, her relationship with her mother (Mona) who herself has her own issues to resolve and hasn’t really recovered herself after her husband’s death, how she constantly feels like she is living under the shadow of her perfect older brother (Darian), and her relationship with her best friend Krista after she starts dating Darian. The film talks about depression in a subtle yet profound manner. It is quirky, light hearted, emotional and sweet, and a worthwhile watch for people seeking some feel good content.

“Cinema is a mirror that can change the world.”

Diego Luna

Truly films and cinema have a power like no other. They compel you to think and question the status quo. It is through movies that we can spread important messages and at the same time entertain people with beautiful and unique storytelling. Although the above mentioned movies do not even begin to cover the interesting pieces of work that are out there, these are some of the films that talk about mental health and mental illnesses in a refreshing and inventive manner, and are definitely worthwhile.