5 Movies on Mental Health That Are Worth Watching
If you are one of those people who are tired of watching the same twisted and stigmatized content surrounding mental health in mainstream media, the chances are that you aren’t watching the right movies. Although the list of good mental health movies is relatively short, there are a few hidden gems worth every second of watching.
Following are the absolute best movies on mental health that you can consider watching.
1. Rain Man
Although this movie is quite an old release, it is still a relevant one. While current movies surrounding autism have very unrealistic plots, this is quite different. Following the life of Raymond, an autistic person, and his brother, Charles, the movie takes you through their journey of life. The first part of the movie is where Charlie discovers that he has an already brother, who is autistic. Following their father’s death, both Charlie and Raymond gain 3 million dollars in the inheritance to Raymond’s care in the hospital.
However, to get the entire inheritance for himself, Charlie drives down to the psychiatric hospital to check Raymond out of the hospital and take him under his care. Together, they drive down to L.A from their hospital. Things start changing during the road trip when the two brothers finally talk and get to know each other.
2. As Quick As It Gets
When it comes to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), people have a very misconstrued understanding of this mental health disorder. The movie highlights the character of Melvin Udall, an anti-social novelist who lives his day-to-day life with OCD. With his lack of social interaction with people and his distaste towards humans, in general, Udall doesn’t like interacting with humans except for the waitress that serves him lunch every day in the restaurant that he works in.
However, his life with OCD becomes a lot easier when he looks after his neighbor’s dog and even interacts with the waitress in the restaurant. The movie highlights the actual struggles that a person with OCD suffers from and how ostracizing and detrimental they are to one’s daily lifestyle. It also manages to highlight the struggles that people have in building relationships when they have OCD.
3. A Beautiful Mind
Released in 2001, this movie is a narration of a true story of the life of John Forbes Nash, Jr. He was a famous mathematician who struggled with schizophrenia. The film manages to capture the struggles of an actual person with this mental health, especially involving the episodes of paranoia and delusions.
Most of the audience who have watched the movie have expressed the life-altering experience they’ve had while watching the movie, especially when you witness someone with such a hard and personal experience.
4. The Skeleton Twins
Following the life of Milo and Maggie, the movie starts with a heavy plot that showcases the two main characters trying to take their lives. Milo’s suicide attempt was reparable and landed him in the hospital, where he finally crosses paths with his brother and sister after being estranged for ten years.
One unique thing about the plot of this movie is how realistic the movie was. It wasn’t a plot that sought empathy, and it wasn’t a plot that was unrealistic. It involved the characters laughing at their struggles while they work on themselves to accept themselves for who they are. It unfurls a host of emotions within you that you wouldn’t understand until you watch the movie.
5. Inside Out
Although this is not necessarily a directly linked movie to mental health, it does explain the importance of emotions to an extent. The animated movie personifies the varying emotions in the mind of a little girl named Riley, who has recently moved to a different city. Unable to tackle the constantly new changes in her life, Riley is met with her emotions, which try to keep things together to help her adjust to the new turmoils.
The movie has a very lighthearted way of explaining situations that everyone can enjoy. It doesn’t involve heavy elements, which is one reason why it has been perceived well by the audience.
Conclusion
If you have meant to watch some good and rightfully explained mental health movies, the ones mentioned above are some of our best picks. We’d highly recommend that you watch them with an open mind and stay safe while watching some of the heavy scenes that can trigger some people.
