I watched the movie "Silver Linings Playbook" the other day.
Normally I do not watch rated-R movies, (this may have actually been the first one), but because of my interest in mental health, I was curious to see how they portrayed people who suffer from it.
For those of you who don't know what it's about, it is about a man named Pat, who just spent 8 months in a psychiatric hospital for beating up his wife's lover. Pat has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and mood swings. When he gets out of the hospital he lives with his parents and decides to try to win his wife back. In the process, he meets Tiffany, who suffers from depression after the loss of her husband, among other things. Throw in a bunch of diehard Eagles fans and you have a wonderful, real, hard movie.
Pros:
Watching the movie made me recall so many similar moments with the people I worked with in the psychiatric hospital. They can be delusional. They often have absolutely no filter and say what comes exactly to mind at that moment. They hate taking their medication and insist they are perfectly fine without it. They can be happy one minute and furious the next. Pat displayed all of these things. He, and my experience working at the hospital, have shown me all these things, but they have also made me realize that they are humans too. They feel the same emotions "normal" people do - anger, love, happiness, sadness, frustration. (As an aside, I'm not completely convinced there are 100% normal people anyways). They are people. Amazing, creative, God-designed people. Just like me and you.
The movie also gives a look into how hard it is for the people who love a mentally ill person. It is exhausting. You often have no idea how to reach that person, how to help them. In the movie, Pat's family and friends struggle, but they clearly love him and want the best for him.
Cons:
The F-word. I HATE, HATE, HATE that word. And it is said a lot throughout the movie, along with other curse words. I have learned to generally tune them out, but sometimes when I find myself tempted, I remind myself of Ephesians 4:29, where it says, "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need so that it gives grace to those that hear."
There is some nudity. A few fights also break out, and Pat is also seen throwing things a couple of times. Pat's dad is also very superstitious about the Eagles games.
I wouldn't recommend this movie for people under 18, and even then, should be mature.
Overall
I absolutely loved the movie! It is raw and real. I would recommend anyone even remotely curious about mental health to watch it. It's a fantastic reminder to love people in general. Because real people hurt and struggle. They laugh and they get mad. Some people have mental illnesses, some people have physical illnesses, and some people just pretend they have perfect lives.
This is a clip of one of my favorite scenes - it's funny, but it's real.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh2Ton31MEg
Normally I do not watch rated-R movies, (this may have actually been the first one), but because of my interest in mental health, I was curious to see how they portrayed people who suffer from it.
For those of you who don't know what it's about, it is about a man named Pat, who just spent 8 months in a psychiatric hospital for beating up his wife's lover. Pat has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and mood swings. When he gets out of the hospital he lives with his parents and decides to try to win his wife back. In the process, he meets Tiffany, who suffers from depression after the loss of her husband, among other things. Throw in a bunch of diehard Eagles fans and you have a wonderful, real, hard movie.
Pros:
Watching the movie made me recall so many similar moments with the people I worked with in the psychiatric hospital. They can be delusional. They often have absolutely no filter and say what comes exactly to mind at that moment. They hate taking their medication and insist they are perfectly fine without it. They can be happy one minute and furious the next. Pat displayed all of these things. He, and my experience working at the hospital, have shown me all these things, but they have also made me realize that they are humans too. They feel the same emotions "normal" people do - anger, love, happiness, sadness, frustration. (As an aside, I'm not completely convinced there are 100% normal people anyways). They are people. Amazing, creative, God-designed people. Just like me and you.
The movie also gives a look into how hard it is for the people who love a mentally ill person. It is exhausting. You often have no idea how to reach that person, how to help them. In the movie, Pat's family and friends struggle, but they clearly love him and want the best for him.
Cons:
The F-word. I HATE, HATE, HATE that word. And it is said a lot throughout the movie, along with other curse words. I have learned to generally tune them out, but sometimes when I find myself tempted, I remind myself of Ephesians 4:29, where it says, "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need so that it gives grace to those that hear."
There is some nudity. A few fights also break out, and Pat is also seen throwing things a couple of times. Pat's dad is also very superstitious about the Eagles games.
I wouldn't recommend this movie for people under 18, and even then, should be mature.
Overall
I absolutely loved the movie! It is raw and real. I would recommend anyone even remotely curious about mental health to watch it. It's a fantastic reminder to love people in general. Because real people hurt and struggle. They laugh and they get mad. Some people have mental illnesses, some people have physical illnesses, and some people just pretend they have perfect lives.
This is a clip of one of my favorite scenes - it's funny, but it's real.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh2Ton31MEg
Comments
Post a Comment