Mental Illness in Film
Mental Illness in Film
Article by Mauraya Sharma
Nuances, Complexities, and interpretation: these are often words with blurred lines, that give significance to a film and their characters. Mental illness and its associated disorders are often given to characters to depict a more complex version of an ideal character type, making them a layered filled with flavor. Depiction of mental illnesses in Film often can create a cultural consciousness that allows the victims to be better understood.
TV shows like ‘Modern Love: Take Me as I am, Whoever I am’ by John Carney elucidate’s on the topic of bipolarity and removes all stigma associated with the disorder, irrational behavior, showing us the true form. Ms. Hathaway enacted her character in a very balanced approach. The problem lies in extreme lethargy rather than the “polar opposite” behavior of victims of bipolarity. Films like ‘Still Alice’ by Richard Glatzer have shown us great beauty and fragility in both performance and exploring mental illnesses: Alzheimer’s. This character is not associated with the cliched stigma, rather more uncommon symptoms are shown, which both humanize the disease and yet created a sense of alarm.
In today’s time, the blurred lines between fiction and reality may be miss-used, more than we like it to be, especially in films that have gained popularity on the basis of controversial or inhuman activities; and an example of this is the joker by The film’s dominance in the debate about portrayals of mental illness in the movies comes at a curious time. Recently, we’ve witnessed great leaps of awareness about relatively common mental-health issues such as depression and anxiety, and with that awareness, increasing dismissal of the sort of unhelpful prejudices that used to surround them. These are now readily discussed without shame and often represented in the media with a well-informed grasp of the facts, thanks to effective information campaigns.
However, severe mental health conditions, such as psychotic illnesses, remain shrouded in stigma and are consistently misrepresented and misunderstood. Portrayals of mental illness in the film can perpetuate unfounded stereotypes and spread misinformation. One of the more toxic ideas that Joker subscribes to is the hackneyed association between serious mental illness and extreme violence. The notion that mental deterioration necessarily leads to violence against others – implied by the juxtaposition of Phoenix’s character Arthur stopping his medication with his increasingly frequent acts of violence – is not only misinformed but further amplifies stigma and fear.