However, not every film gets it right and sometimes they do not know how to deal with the subject they have decided to portray. In this article, we have compiled a list of 6 best movies about mental health.
If you are wondering about movies on mental health that correctly show the human mind, we have the best movies about mental health that you should watch-
1. Silver Linings Playbook
Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jacki Weaver, and Anupam Kher, among others, Silver Linings Playbook follows the story of a man who has bipolar disorder and has to visit a mental health facility when he attacks his wife’s lover.
He meets a young widow who promises to win his wife back if he agrees to participate in a dance competition with her. David O Russell made this movie for his son who has Bipolar Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Silver Linings Playbook shows the ups and downs of the family- where they are the force that drives us to do good while also making us go mad at times.
2. Ordinary People
Ordinary People deals with the subject of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Set in Chicago, it shows a family who is dealing with the accidental death of their son while also encountering survivor’s guilt.
The film rightly captures PTSD, showing how difficult it is for people to handle it – and Mary Tyler Moore’s outstanding performance made the film even better. This was Robert Redford’s directorial debut which also bagged him four Oscars.
3. Melancholia
Few of the films can capture the intensity of depression and Melancholia is one of them. The film is an apocalyptic drama that at the core follows the story of two sisters, one of whom marries just before a planet is about to clash with the Earth, where people wait for their impending death.
Melancholia is an exceptional movie, very far from the generic settings- it is also why Melancholia is one of the few films that has made it to Sight & Sound’s most recent critic’s rating of the best movies ever made.
4. Inside Out
Before Inside Out, it appeared almost impossible that an animated film could come to be such a tear-jerker. It follows Riley, a young girl who is coping with her family’s relocation, along with her five emotions that are personified in the film.
Inside Out shows how pain and sadness are just as much a part of a complete life as happiness and joy. The movie won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards and is probably one of the best-animated movies ever.
5. A Beautiful Mind
Winner of four Academy Awards, A Beautiful Mind is a biographical film based on the life of John Nash, a mathematician and Nobel laureate in Economics.
The film focuses on his journey at Princeton University as he struggles with his schizophrenia.
Russell Crowe took the role of Nash in the film and he did complete justice to the role. A Beautiful Mind gives a peek into the life of an academically smart student who has to balance his mental health while dealing with other issues as well.
6. Fight Club
Very few movies have portrayed Dissociative Identity Disorder or Multiple Personality Disorder- and Fight Club is one of them. The film introduces an unnamed narrator working in a white-collar job who is suffering from insomnia, depression, and anxiety.
Furthermore, he is dissatisfied with his life with his negative outlook and creates an alter ego to find some contentment- showing that he suffers from a personality disorder as well. The film also portrays each man’s struggle against the modern consumerist structure through the disorder.
Conclusion-
From insomnia to personality disorders, these films portrayed different mental illnesses. What is unique about these movies is the accuracy with which they capture the life and challenges of the people who deal with mental instability.
Other movies worth watching are Lard and the Real Girl, Krisha, and Eighth Grade. Some Bollywood movies that deal with the subject of mental health are Dear Zindagi, Chhichhore, Karthik Calling Karthik, and Tamasha. Let us know which movie you like the most.
Also Read: 7 Characters From Bollywood Films Who Deserved Better Ending