Monday, April 22, 2013

More mental health in pop culture: “Call Me Crazy: A Five Film”

What is it like to have an illness that might take away all your dreams? What is it like to have others look at you as weak and a burden because of your illness? What is it like to be a family member of someone with an illness that makes him or her different, that might even make them embarrassing to be around?
“Call Me Crazy: A Five Film,” a Lifetime Movie, explored these and other aspects of mental illness.
It aired Saturday night, and as I watched it and thought about it afterwards, I felt hope: hope that lots of people are working against stigma surrounding mental illness and renewed hope that people can live full and happy lives despite having a mental illness.
Thanks to Sunny at 71 degrees and Sunny, I knew about the film beforehand and planned my viewing accordingly.

The stories
The film is made up of five intertwining stories focusing on four people suffering from a mental illness and their family and friends.
“Lucy” is about Lucy, a law student who has schizophrenia. At the beginning of her story, she has stopped her medication and ends up in a mental hospital for treatment.
Lucy doesn’t have much hope for a normal life. She doesn’t think she can finish law school and help others, like she had planned.
Her doctor tells her to prove others wrong and go for her dreams.
In “Allison,” we meet a 19-year-old woman visiting home from college with her boyfriend. She’s upset when she learns that her older sister, Lucy, will be returning home from the mental hospital.
Allison believes that Lucy has stolen a normal family life from her because of her schizophrenia. She is also very angry because in the past, while hallucinating, Lucy tried to choke her.
Allison and Lucy have some honest conversations. While no grand resolution is reached, they both come to understand each other better.
“Grace” focuses on the young daughter of a woman who has bipolar. Grace feels responsible for taking care of her mom, whether she is lost in depression or acting recklessly during her manic periods.
Grace’s mother stops her medication and goes on a wild adventure with Grace and her friends, eventually scaring them with her daredevil driving.
After Grace proclaims that she is done with her mother and that she only wants to move far away from her, her mother seeks help.
Later Grace, writing an essay as part of a college application, calls her mother her hero because of the strength she shows in fighting her disease.
“Eddie” focuses on depression. Eddie is a stand-up comic who can make people laugh. After the show, though, he wants to be alone and sleep away the time until he has to go on stage again.
His wife notices that his humor has gotten darker and seems to center around suicide. When she discovers that Eddie has stopped seeing his therapist and has planned his own suicide, she is devastated.
Eddie comes home and finds that his wife has discovered his secretes. She goes with him to his therapist’s office, seeking help for his depression.
 “Maggie” is about a woman returning home from war, suffering from PTSD after being repeatedly raped by her commanding officer, who was later killed in war.
She loses custody of her son after she attacks her father during a flashback, thinking that he is the commanding officer.
Lucy, now out of law school and working as an attorney, takes on Maggie’s case. Maggie is without hope. Lucy tells Maggie her own story of mental illness and triumph, and reminds Maggie that there is always hope.
She goes to court with her, arguing for help for Maggie so that she can once again become productive in society.

My take
I found all of these stories refreshingly honest. While everyone’s problems are not solved in the course of the stories, everyone does gain a little hope. They seek help, they get help, and they begin the journey of getting better.
Some of them were hard to watch. It’s not easy to watch someone in the depths of despair, wanting only to die. It’s not easy to watch someone held captive by voices that tell her it’s time to die. It’s not easy to see a young girl trying to control her out-of-control mother.
I could particularly relate to Eddie’s story, especially his sense of hopelessness and the inertia that he feels.
I also related to Lucy’s sense that her recovery depends on multiple things, not just taking her medication as prescribed.
I applaud the actors, writers and directors and all of those involved in putting together “Call Me Crazy.” I think the portrayals of mental illness, and its effects on family and friends, will only help the cause of removing the stigma surrounding mental illness.

If you watched “Call Me Crazy,” what did you think of its portrayal of mental illness? And in general, how important is a sense of hope when facing obstacles in life?

27 comments:

  1. Hi Tina, great post. I have not seen the movie. I have seen Forrest Gump, though, and several times. I like when Forrest says, "Stupid is as stupid does." I agree that there is still a stigma about mental illness. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to have 'met" others who are living with mental illness, it is great to hear their experiences. Thanks so much for sharing, Tina.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Linda. I think that the more we learn about others' experiences, the less stigma there will be.

      Delete
  2. Sounds like an interesting movie. A little stereotypical in parts perhaps, but well done nonetheless? I haven't seen it, since we don't have tv, but I'd like to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lisa. There was some stereotyping, but I think in such short stories (five in a two-hour movie), it was probably difficult to be real subtle. The message was important though--there is hope for improvement. I hope it will be available at some point online for viewing.

      Delete
  3. Good morning Tina. I have not seen this movie but I am intrigued. I shall check it out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Keith. I think the stories are worth watching.

      Delete
  4. Great review! I mean to watch it after Sunny posted about it but I completely forgot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Elizabeth. Maybe it will be available online at some point.

      Delete
  5. very intriguing movie, wish I could have seen it - but didn't know about it until just now. also only have antennae television, so no Lifetime channel. watch most things online anymore. hope this will be more widely available soon! thank you for the great review :o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Becky. I hope it will be available online soon.

      Delete
  6. Wow, I really liked how you broke down the stories. Me too, thanks to Sunny for mentioning this movie my husband and I watched it.

    I really liked it!

    I also wrote about my view of the movie.

    I hope the film brings awareness of all who watched it.
    I never feel like I want to advocate mental illness- not at all. I hope that anything I write or share in person would never be to act upon sympathy for mental illness, or even for 'rights' of mental illness... But, instead cause a prompting to BOTH the sufferer and the ones who do not know the illness for themself seek to be educated about the disease before judges themself, or one who is suffering is judged by an outsider.

    Blessings, Deanna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oops, after rereading after I posted my comment I noticed boo-boos. hope I got my thought accross nevertheless.

      Delete
    2. Deanna, thank you for your comment. Yes, you got your thoughts across, and you make some good points! I, too, think it's important for the person with mental illness and for others to get educated about it and not to judge.

      Delete
  7. I didn't see it. But I'll be on the look out for it if it airs again. I can imagine it would be helpful and heartening to know what others go through. Everyone needs hope.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment, Sharon. You make such a good point: everyone needs hope in life, no matter our circumstances.

      Delete
  8. I had to go out Sat night so I couldn't see it - but I'm going to watch it as soon as I can then come back and read your post! I'll be interested to compare notes with you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sunny. I hope you're able to watch it. I'd like to know what you think, too.

      Delete
  9. I meant to watch it and with all the events of this past week, completely forgot about it. Thanks for the synopsis. Anything that gives hope is a good thing in my book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Janet. I think you would enjoy it. I'm with you--anything that gives hope . . .

      Delete
  10. Great Post! I will look for that movie. I've struggled with ocd and depression since childhood too.
    doreenmcgettigan.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Doreen. I hope it will be available online soon. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

      Delete
  11. as a nurse, i have always had a tremendous respect for mental illness as being an illness. just like diabetes, heart disease, ms, lupus, cancer....people don't choose these diseases.

    i have not seen the movie but i will look for it!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment and support, Debbie. I appreciate it!

      Delete
  12. Thank you so much for sharing this.
    I especially appreciate your enthusiasm and hope.
    You've given me a lot to consider.
    love & love,
    -g-

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Georgy, you always leave such sweet comments. Thank you!

      Delete
  13. I enjoy the emotional side of my nursing job. It's interesting that the nurse I work with is young and was an emergency room nurse. She likes to to physical assessments and I like to spend time with the kids who have anxiety and other emotional issues. We make a good team. This movie sounds very interesting. Hope I can see it some time. Thanks for visiting me Tina. I always enjoy hearing from you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Patty. That's great that you and your co-worker make a good team--that helps the students, I'm sure. It sounds like a challenging but rewarding job.

      Delete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.