Mental health in media: Representation and authenticity

There's always been a hush hush around mental health, and its not surprising that the stigma followed into the arts and media industry. But that hasn't stopped people from creating realistic art around mental health, and today we bring out a few films, that portrayed mental illnesses truthfully and beautifully.

Here are a few movies from the Indian Cinema that have managed to put out painful truths in the most authentic yet beautiful manner.

Raman Raghav 2.0-

Based on a true story, Anurag Kashyap takes the intricacy of the mind to the next level. It's essentially known and appreciated for the number of crucial details that it managed to capture through the lens of a psychopath's mind.

Throughout the movie, Raman, a maniac serial killer, finds a soulmate in Raghavan, the policeman who inspects his murder cases and tries to make Raghavan realize how they both are similar.

Karthik calling Karthik-

If you haven't watched this, it's time you do. One hell of a psychological thriller, the movie wonderfully presents a distorted reality through the mind of a person suffering from schizophrenia. The movie has a steady pace and grips the attention throughout.

Judgemental hai kya?-

Now look, Kangana's Twitter might not be great but her acting skills are captivating. In this specific movie, she has wonderfully portrayed an eccentric mindset, through a comical satire, along with Rajkummar Rao. The only problematic thing is the plot seems to be a little poorly laid.

A death in the Gunj-

The film has subtly beautiful undertones of a person in grief and depression & escapism, trying to make sense amidst chaos of loss of a loved one & the sudden burden of household responsibility. The movie still manages to grip the attention of the viewer, and pulls them closer to Shutu, each moment. The ending may not suit everyone's tastes, but it is a brave one at that, and leaves oneself with a sense of haunting & loads of questions about the meaning of life and relationships while providing valuable insights about the psychology of a tender mind grappling with loss.

Just like hindi cinema, Hollywood has much to offer too when it comes to movies portraying mental health. A few of the best ones are as follows:

A beautiful mind-

A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 film based on the life of John Forbes Nash Jr., inspired by Sylvia Nasar's biographical novel "A Beautiful Mind". This film creates a timeline of John Nash's life, beginning when he enrols in graduate school at Princeton to study mathematics, when the first signs of schizophrenia emerge, and continuing into his later years, even when he received the Nobel Prize while still struggling with his condition. When the timeline continues, so does John's schizophrenia, which is worsened by his supposed military service. We get an insight into the life-long challenges that someone with a disorder like schizophrenia faces by reviewing crucial scenes from the film.

Good Will Hunting-

This film portrays a young adult, Will Hunting, who has a marvellous mind but comes from an abusive childhood and poor neighbourhood. Even though he is great at solving the hardest of math puzzles, he still has issues with trusting others and having stable relationships with other individuals.

Throughout the film, Will undergoes therapy that helps him deal with his aggression and depression. What makes this movie so good (pun intended 😆) is that this movie is one of those movies that show the most realistic journey of someone in recovery. It's not like life is perfect and beautiful and you are "fixed" once you are done with therapy and definitely a therapist is not some perfect human or a know-it-all and this movie beats those myths and portrays and rather normalizes the imperfections of reality.

Silver linings playbook-

The film Silver Linings Playbook, whose protagonist suffers from bipolar disorder, depicts the condition with unusual truthfulness. He moves in with his parents after losing his wife, house, and teaching career, and is soon pursued by Tiffany, a mourning widow played by Jennifer Lawrence, who is trapped in her own darkness.

Pat tentatively reconnects with family and friends, which leads to an unlikely affair. A Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Dr. Steven Schlozman loved the film. He said, "It’s Hollywood, so there are still going to be things that are there more for the story than for accuracy. But they did a very nice job of depicting manic depressive illness or bipolar disorder in somebody who’s quite bright, and who has limited but present insight on it."

Rainman-

Before Rain Man, not many had an idea of what autism looks like, either in real life or on television. Autism remained an enigma at the time, known only by devoted parents or specialized therapists. Rain Man deserves applause as a start for autism on television. It provided autistic people with a level of exposure that they had historically been refused. Rain Man gained the kind of representation that parent activist organisations have been fighting for decades in one fell swoop.

We believe that a good healthy representation of mental health issues in the media can go a long way in destigmatizing mental illnesses and seeking help. In a country, where movies and OTT shows hold an important and influential authority in swaying mindsets, it is necessary that our art is real and truthful.

Although these are just a few picks from the many movies out there, do feel free to watch these if you haven't already😄!

PS- A big thanks to Mahek for helping compile this list! 🥰