Romanticism of Mental Health script

[Music: Radiohead- Creep]





Projector: Film posters of Fight Club, It’s Kind Of A Funny Story and The Virgin Suicides in a row.





Presenter: Knowing people who have and being one who has suffered from a mental illness, it worries me to see films produced that romanticize and fetishize people who have mental health problems. Some people may say that these films are seen as revolutionary in some aspects however there are people who will watch these films and become infatuated with the incorrect idea of mental illness, which can be dangerous. A few bloggers have spoke out to their followers saying "Don’t try to become anxious or depressed or anorexic just because social media makes it seem cool. If you have any of these issues, that is not part of being a normal, healthy person and I urge you to get help."[1] (https://www.tumblr.com/search/stop+glamorizing+mental+illnesses) Dr Peter Byrne says "Our report Identifies popular films as a reservoir of prejudice that perpetuates damaging stereotypes of people with mental health problems."[1]




As a society “our understanding of mental health problems comes from many sources- real-life experiences, printed literature, in news media and characters in drama and film.”[2] Depictions of mental health problems in the early years in cinema and still now comes from stereotypes, some of which being;
the “loony” (My, Myself and Irene)

Projector: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/Me,_Myself_and_Irene_Posters.jpg
the idiot savant (Rain Man)

Projector: http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ4NTA1NDU3NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODUwMTU2NA@@._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg
the psycho killer (Psycho)

Projector: http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTgyNDIxNzQ4MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMzkyNTQ2._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg






Projector: Which all arouses pity, laughter, fear or sympathy from viewers. However, recently there has been an influx of depictions that almost glorify the characters with the mental illness. From the birth of cinema other types of representations such as women, sexuality and race have all evolved to a point; however mental illness seems to have stayed the same throughout the decades.






Projector: Still of Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot [http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130705050917/p__/protagonist/images/0/01/Film-noir-some-like-it-hot-marilyn-monroe-via-grady-uga-edu.jpg] Next to a still of Sigourney Weaver in Alien [http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130410133950/avp/images/2/2f/Ellen_Ripley_badass.png]






Presenter: Cinema came a long way in only twenty years, from Some Like it Hot where Sugar is only really there for the male gaze to Ripley in Alien who is a strong, independent lead women throughout the whole franchise.






Projector: Still of Al Rogers in A Wanderer of the West (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9ICFPErvQrQv3S5pKukPe7lecJLqRzbfftaPAUm8j__oMx5uC4GJgyLe3BHny-AVPZcaYlg6JDRi1RmBIgENHEeCOI-m4UPCpqL7TqbyuiNR66xDSQHVDJKlKHGHITRfaHT-TeFw4g/s1600-h/ww3.JPG) next to a still of Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain [http://www.kimberleyfrench.com/wp-content/themes/konzept/includes/uploadify/uploads/06_Brokeback_Mountain_xxxx.jpg]






Presenter: AL Rogers character Clarence in A Wandered of the West is seen as rather flamboyant with 'female characteristics' however Brokeback Mountain does more than just represent gay people in a positive way, but it also reflects societies prejudice - not only is cinema evolving to represent people accurately but it is now also critical of those who are prejudice. Brokeback Mountain really does show how far society has gone as the film won three Oscars.





Projector: Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer [http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0710/360_dvd_jazz_singer_1016.jpg] alongside Lilies in the Field poster, starring Sidney Poitier [http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/a5/59/28/a55928f7c86011c86281bfebd578552a.jpg]





Presenter: Al Jolsons portrayal in The Jazz Singer would now be seen as racist, having a white man painted black is seen as unimaginable however in the twenties this was culturally acceptable. Sidney Poitiers role in Lilies in the Field won him his only Oscar in 1963, making him the first black actor to win an Oscar. As of 2009 14.7%[3]( http://annenberg.usc.edu/sitecore/shell/Applications/~/media/PDFs/RaceEthnicity.ashx) of actors in top grossing films of that year where black, in comparison to the 1930’s where black people where cast but it was very rare they would have a main role.





Projector: Still from The Snake Pit [http://www.threedonia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/SnakePit.jpg]next to a still from Girl, Interrupted [http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/11400000/girl-interrupted-girl-interrupted-11490158-1272-716.jpg]





Presenter: As you can see by these two images, not much has changed in the way of depictions of mental health in film. The first film from 1948 and the second from 1999 both show a woman being held so as not to lash out, and this is only from two films. I wonder if anyone could compare one shot of a portrayal of mental health in films made nowadays to ones made decades ago and see if they looked similar. According to Chelsea Birkby[4], films that romanticise mental can be split into four categories;


I. Endearing (50 First Dates)


II. Being cool (Fight Club)


III. Being thoughtful, deep and creative (Perks of Being a Wallflower)


IV. Crazy love (Silver Linings Playbook)








Projector: Film poster of Fight Club 1999 [http://images.moviepostershop.com/fight-club-movie-poster-1999-1020215604.jpg]





Presenter: I want to focus on Fight Club as many people have seen and loved the film and it also has false ideals of mental illness. When Chuck Palahniuk wrote Fight Club his focus wasn't on mental health but more on the state of masculinity and the dissatisfaction of it in modern society. This is seen multiple times within the film; the narrator and Tyler talk about being a generation brought up by their mothers. One of the problems that came up for me with watching Fight Club is that Brad Pitt plays the narrators ‘alter ego’, so to speak, Tyler Durden. Pitt is seen by many as the ‘ideal man’ where the phrase ‘women want to date him, men want to be him’ comes in handy when describing him and so just by using him already elevates the character and his illness.






Projector: Image of Durden in the armchair [http://moviesfilmsmotionpictures.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/fightclubtwo.jpg]






Presenter: The big reveal within the film comes from Durden as he tells the narrator that they are the same person and so this is how we as the audience finally find out that he has dissociative identity disorder (DID). As Tyler sits in the armchair in the hotel room with a cigarette in his mouth wearing a fur coat he is the epitome of “cool, and one of the most contributing factors to that is that he’s so messed up”[5] and that he is also played by Pitt! He adds desirability to the disorder as he is everything the narrator wants but cannot get due to societal constraints. The illness comes as throughout the performance Tyler gets angrier and by the end decides that Marla needs to die because she knows too much which shows he is paranoid and delusional, these are symptoms of mental illness. Again I feel this representation could be dangerous to impressionable people who will want to be the caracters/actors.






Projector: Clip of the ending of Fight Club





Presenter: For a time, the narrator and Tyler are seen as one side of the same person as they mutually benefit from each other’s existence, the narrator’s life becomes more interesting and Tyler gets a partner, however, as the film progresses they both become more dangerous to each other, meaning one of them has got to go. The resolution of the film happens “quickly and in an idealized way.”[6] The way the narrator gets rid of Tyler is by shooting him in the head and by association grazing his own jaw with the bullet which indicates to the audience that people can physically get rid of their mental health problem instead of psychologically. The issue with this resolution is that to overcome the condition does it really need to be a severe shock? What's the point in therapy if one can just shoot the illness right out of them? There are a few treatments for Dissociative Identity Disorder,  one being psychotherapy which will "generally take an individual modality (as opposed to family, group or couples therapy) and emphasize the integration of the various personality states into one, cohesive whole personality." (http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx18t.htm) or they might join self help groups within large communities or virtually, neither of these treatments will take a short time, in fact they could go on for years.





          Projector: Poster of It's Kind of a Funny Story [http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTk0MTAyNjQ2N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjYwOTU3Mw@@._V1_SX214_AL_.jpg]






Presenter: Moving onto the next film which you can see is It's Kind of a Funny Story which is about a clinically depressed teen who admits himself into a psych ward after he contemplates committing suicide and goes onto befriend a few other patients. This was once a favourite of mine and still is due to how heart breaking but at the same time uplifting the film truly is, I also find the main character Craig relatable to an extent. A problem I have with this film that I also had with Fight Club is the casting. Emma Roberts is a role model to many teens and children alike and the thought of someone wanting to be just like her character frankly scares me. Noelle seems brash and sarcastic which I understand why people would like that, however she comes from a truly horrific background and coped with that through self-harm.





Projector: The Ending [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnJGLEHRrVI]


Okay, I know you're thinking, "What is this? Kid spends a few days in the hospital and all his problems are cured?" But I'm not. I know I'm not. I can tell this is just the beginning. I still need to face my homework, my school, my friends. My dad. But the difference between today and last Saturday is that for the first time in a while, I can look forward to the things I want to do in my life. Bike, eat, drink, talk. Ride the subway, read, read maps. Make maps, make art. Finish the Gates application. Tell my dad not to stress about it. Hug my mom. Kiss my little sister. Kiss my dad. Make out with Noelle. Make out with her more. Take her on a picnic. See a movie with her. See a movie with Aaron. Heck, see a movie with Nia. Have a party. Tell people my story. Volunteer at 3 North. Help people like Bobby. Like Muqtada. Like me. Draw more. Draw a person. Draw a naked person. Draw Noelle naked. Run, travel, swim, skip. Yeah, I know it's lame, but, whatever. Skip anyway. Breathe... Live.








Presenter: It seems that one of the main reasons Craig is on the road to recovery is because of his relationship with Noelle and how its blossomed and also his friendship with Bobby. The falling in love theme "seems to come into films where a romantic relationship is formed that includes somebody who is mentally ill." [7]The end scene to It's Kind of a Funny Story has Craig's voice over as he tells the audience what he's going to do now that he's left the hospital. the shots that accompany this is are littered with Noelle. The film leaves an impression on the viewer’s mind that these people seem to have this unique, powerful love that can only be achieved as they are both mentally ill. The film is aimed at teens and up and this message about love is very negative.





Projector: The intro to the sisters clip [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLkxV_gyYbI]





Presenter: The introduction to the five Lisbon Sister is through the point of view of the boys obsessed with them, this narrative perspective stays the same throughout meaning the "Lisbon sisters are in fact a mystery and they remain that way to the end credits." Which that I think most people are unsure of the message at the end, maybe even Coppola himself! Or maybe the film was just there to say ""look at me, I'm kind of odd and pretty."[9] The colours used in this sequence and may others are rather soft and so in addition soften the blow. However the film can also become "cold, dark, and often haunting movie, with subtle unsentimental music and dream like sequences." such as the clip of Cecelia after she attempts suicide





Projector: Cecilia in the bath [http://emilyandfilm.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/the-virgin-suicides-8.jpeg]







Presenter: I want to bring it back to what I touched upon before about the narrative perspective. As the story is conveyed through the boys the audience also take on their view and so we become drawn into the sisters and want to know their mysteries as well. Once again the message is all wrong, how come girls struggling with depression is so mysterious? Why are these boys elevating these girls? The message in this sense seems to be that mental illness is the path for someone to become unique and the way to go if you want someone to ne enamoured with you. This message doesn't only come from The Virgin Suicides but also may other films showcasing mental illness in that sense.