A Beautiful Mind is a biographical film based on the life of John Nash a Nobel Laureate winner in economics. The film was inspired by the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book of the same title by Sylvia Nasar. The movie did receive some criticism for the way in which it presented Nash’s schizophrenia. While the portrayal of the mannerisms of a schizophrenic individual was seen as extremely accurate by many psychiatrists the notion that Nash’s own willpower helped him overcome schizophrenia was farfetched and somewhat damaging. The film did not address how schizophrenic individuals manage their illness which if often down by a combination of medication and therapy, instead, it presented schizophrenia as something that can be defeated. This gives not only the general public but also schizophrenic individuals the idea that a recovery is an option when most often than not partial recovery is the best one can hope for.
I agree with you're post. Although it is unique that a character with schizophrenia is portrayed on TV, it does more harm that good if they are not portrayed accurately. I really like that you analyzing a show that features a character with mental illness. If this is what society sees then that is what they will think about people with mental illnesses. Since media does not usually portray mental illness in a good light, this is what they will believe.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I love this movie. I remember seeing it for the first time having no idea what it was about, and being completely shocked when it is revealed that he has schizophrenia. From what I have learned and studied about schizophrenia I felt like it was a pretty good representation, but like you said all cases are very different. Nash seemed to have a pretty extreme case of the disease. The film gave me an idea of what the disease is all about and a look into the kind of life someone lives when living with such an extreme disease. Good Post!
ReplyDeleteWhile I have never seen this movie I do know that schizophrenia is a very serious disease. I think anything regarding mental illness is touchy and any misrepresentation can strike an emotional chord. This analysis discussed that this is a misrepresentation of how treatment works. This is important because while this movie did good by telling the story of someone with a mental illness I think that there is a major mistake to shine light on something that is false.
ReplyDelete