Marcia Sirota's Blog, page 2

TIFF24, The Year of the Older Woman

This year at TIFF, I was glad to see how many movies there were starring older women. All of these films featured women who were strong, complex, and compelling.

Photographer: Christine Tamalet | Copyright: © Universal StudiosSociety has an aversion to images of women ageing

In the horror film, The Substance, Demi Moore plays an actress, Elizabeth Sparkle, who yearns to regain the freshness and allure of her youth. She purchases a questionable substance that’s designed to return her to her former beauty, but her desperation leads her to overuse it, leading to horrific consequences.

This movie is an indictment of our attitudes toward older women and a society in which women incrementally lose their value as they age. The horror aspects of this film are a parallel for the horrific lengths that women will go to in order to preserve their looks, and the horrifying ways that women are denigrated, simply for getting older.

Image credit: Courtesy of TIFFThe Last Showgirl: a tragedy about the illusion of beauty

Another film about women ageing is The Last Showgirl. It stars two magnificent actresses: Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis. They play ageing showgirls; Curtis having been forced to retire a few years back, and now reduced to working as a cocktail waitress, and Anderson, facing the end of her career as her show closes after a 30-year run.

Curtis plays Anette, an alcoholic, gambling addict and lost soul. Her desire for validation is painfully evident when she climbs up on a platform and dances to a random song in the middle of the casino where she’s supposed to be serving drinks. Her desperate need to be seen and desired is uncomfortable to watch, but also incredibly moving.

Anderson plays Shelley, a showgirl who gave up love, family, and emotional intimacy, in order to pursue her career.

Her need to be beautiful and special has eclipsed her ability to connect with the people in her life. At 57, she has few career options and only one friend.

She pushes away one of the young dancers who comes to her in crisis because she’s not emotionally equipped to cope. She reaches out to her estranged daughter and to her former boyfriend, but the interactions are strained. She doesn’t know how to be close to people.

This movie is a tragedy about the illusion of beauty and desirability. Although not as overly horrific as The Substance, it is horrifying in the way the characters have relinquished everything meaningful to pursue the false dream of stardom on the Las Vegas stage. The outcome for Shelly and Annette may not be as grotesque as it is for Elizabeth, but it’s just as tragic.

Image credit: Courtesy of TIFFThe Mother and the Bear explores the dangers of living through your children

In the film, The Mother and the Bear, Korean actress Kim Hi-Jung plays Sara, the mother of a young woman, Sumi, who has had an accident in Winnipeg, where she now lives. Sara rushes to Winnipeg to care for her daughter.

Since Sumi is in a medically induced coma, and there is nothing for Sara to do at the hospital, she makes kimchi and set up an online profile, pretending to be Sumi, in the hopes that when her daughter wakes up, there will be a group of appropriate suitors waiting to take her out.

As the movie progresses, it becomes clear that Sara‘s obsession with finding Sumi a husband come from her own early widowhood, and the misguided belief that having a man in one’s life is what will bring a woman happiness and security.

What Sara doesn’t realize is that Sumi already has someone in her life who is making her happy. It’s just not who Sara had envisioned.

When Sara meets Sam, the owner of a Korean restaurant in Winnipeg, she is saddened to see him rejecting his own son for being involved with a woman who’s not Korean.

Sara’s evolution comes in her realization that the older generation must allow their children to love who they choose.

Image credit: Courtesy of TIFFDaughter’s Daughter looks at the way women are often constrained in the choices that they make

In the movie, Daughter’s Daughter, the Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang plays a mother who has made some difficult choices in her life. While living in New York City as a teenager, she gave up a baby, Emma, for adoption, and returned to Taiwan. There, she married and raised another daughter, Zuer.

Divorced and living alone in Taipei, Ai is estranged from Emma and has just lost Zuer in a tragic car accident in New York City, where she had gone with her partner to do in vitro fertilization

While in New York, Ai is faced with two challenges: what to do with the viable embryo that Zuer left to her, and how to deal with Emma, who is awkward and prickly around her.

Ai is full of doubts about her ability to be a mother at this stage of her life, especially since she’s also dealing with her own elderly mother who is in a care home, suffering from dementia. And she is clearly pained by Emma’s presence in her life.

This film is about the choices we make as women, and the repercussions of these choices, as we get older. Ai is a daughter, a mother, and potentially a grandmother, contemplating raising this unborn child as her own. The emotional fallout of her long-ago decision is affecting her ability to make choices about her life, today. The interplay of past, present, and future makes this film emotionally resonant and extremely satisfying to watch.

Photographer: Avel Chuklanov | Source: Unsplash

These are only some of the TIFF24 films that feature older women but they give a good cross-section of the themes being explored. I hope this trend continues because clearly, older women have a lot to say and their hopes, dreams, and journeys are fascinating to share.

—-

Sign up here for my free bi-weekly wellness newsletter that brings you fresh, thought-provoking content.

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel where you’ll learn simple tips for taking the best care of yourself and your loved ones.

Tune in to my Ruthless Compassion Podcast where I go in-depth about topics like mental health, trauma, and loneliness.

Tune in to my Reel Mental Podcast where I host lively discussions with film critics and explore how mental health is portrayed on-screen.

Complete our Audience Listening Survey here.

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TIFF24, The Year of the Older Woman

This year at TIFF, I was glad to see how many movies there were starring older women. All of these films featured women who were strong, complex, and compelling.

Photographer: Christine Tamalet | Copyright: © Universal StudiosSociety has an aversion to images of women ageing

In the horror film, The Substance, Demi Moore plays an actress, Elizabeth Sparkle, who yearns to regain the freshness and allure of her youth. She purchases a questionable substance that’s designed to return her to her former beauty, but her desperation leads her to overuse it, leading to horrific consequences.

This movie is an indictment of our attitudes toward older women and a society in which women incrementally lose their value as they age. The horror aspects of this film are a parallel for the horrific lengths that women will go to in order to preserve their looks, and the horrifying ways that women are denigrated, simply for getting older.

Image credit: Courtesy of TIFFThe Last Showgirl: a tragedy about the illusion of beauty

Another film about women ageing is The Last Showgirl. It stars two magnificent actresses: Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis. They play ageing showgirls; Curtis having been forced to retire a few years back, and now reduced to working as a cocktail waitress, and Anderson, facing the end of her career as her show closes after a 30-year run.

Curtis plays Anette, an alcoholic, gambling addict and lost soul. Her desire for validation is painfully evident when she climbs up on a platform and dances to a random song in the middle of the casino where she’s supposed to be serving drinks. Her desperate need to be seen and desired is uncomfortable to watch, but also incredibly moving.

Anderson plays Shelley, a showgirl who gave up love, family, and emotional intimacy, in order to pursue her career.

Her need to be beautiful and special has eclipsed her ability to connect with the people in her life. At 57, she has few career options and only one friend.

She pushes away one of the young dancers who comes to her in crisis because she’s not emotionally equipped to cope. She reaches out to her estranged daughter and to her former boyfriend, but the interactions are strained. She doesn’t know how to be close to people.

This movie is a tragedy about the illusion of beauty and desirability. Although not as overly horrific as The Substance, it is horrifying in the way the characters have relinquished everything meaningful to pursue the false dream of stardom on the Las Vegas stage. The outcome for Shelly and Annette may not be as grotesque as it is for Elizabeth, but it’s just as tragic.

Image credit: Courtesy of TIFFThe Mother and the Bear explores the dangers of living through your children

In the film, The Mother and the Bear, Korean actress Kim Hi-Jung plays Sara, the mother of a young woman, Sumi, who has had an accident in Winnipeg, where she now lives. Sara rushes to Winnipeg to care for her daughter.

Since Sumi is in a medically induced coma, and there is nothing for Sara to do at the hospital, she makes kimchi and set up an online profile, pretending to be Sumi, in the hopes that when her daughter wakes up, there will be a group of appropriate suitors waiting to take her out.

As the movie progresses, it becomes clear that Sara‘s obsession with finding Sumi a husband come from her own early widowhood, and the misguided belief that having a man in one’s life is what will bring a woman happiness and security.

What Sara doesn’t realize is that Sumi already has someone in her life who is making her happy. It’s just not who Sara had envisioned.

When Sara meets Sam, the owner of a Korean restaurant in Winnipeg, she is saddened to see him rejecting his own son for being involved with a woman who’s not Korean.

Sara’s evolution comes in her realization that the older generation must allow their children to love who they choose.

Image credit: Courtesy of TIFFDaughter’s Daughter looks at the way women are often constrained in the choices that they make

In the movie, Daughter’s Daughter, the Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang plays a mother who has made some difficult choices in her life. While living in New York City as a teenager, she gave up a baby, Emma, for adoption, and returned to Taiwan. There, she married and raised another daughter, Zuer.

Divorced and living alone in Taipei, Ai is estranged from Emma and has just lost Zuer in a tragic car accident in New York City, where she had gone with her partner to do in vitro fertilization

While in New York, Ai is faced with two challenges: what to do with the viable embryo that Zuer left to her, and how to deal with her Emma, who is awkward and prickly around her.

Ai is full of doubts about her ability to be a mother at this stage of her life, especially since she’s also dealing with her own elderly mother who is in a care home, suffering from dementia. And she is clearly pained by Emma’s presence in her life right

This film is about the choices we make as women, and the repercussions of these choices, as we get older. Ai is a daughter, a mother, and potentially a grandmother, contemplating raising this unborn child as her own. The emotional fallout of her long-ago decision is affecting her ability to make choices about her life, today. The interplay of past, present and future makes this film emotionally resonant and extremely satisfying to watch.

Photographer: Avel Chuklanov | Source: Unsplash

These are only some of the TIFF24 films that feature older women but they give a good cross-section of the themes being explored. I hope this trend continues because clearly, older women have a lot to say and their hopes, dreams, and journeys are fascinating to share.

—-

Sign up here for my free bi-weekly wellness newsletter that brings you fresh, thought-provoking content.

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel where you’ll learn simple tips for taking the best care of yourself and your loved ones.

Tune in to my Ruthless Compassion Podcast where I go in-depth about topics like mental health, trauma, and loneliness.

Tune in to my Reel Mental Podcast where I host lively discussions with film critics and explore how mental health is portrayed on-screen.

Complete our Audience Listening Survey here.

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TIFF24, The Year of Subverted Expectations

This year at TIFF, I was happy to note that many of the films I saw subverted expectations. These films gave the impression of going in one direction but then ended up surprising me. These unexpected twists made each of these films more interesting, exciting, and emotionally compelling.

Photographer: Shanna Besson/Pathé | Copyright: © 2024 PathéEmilia Perez; subverting the “tragic trans person” trope

One example is the film, Emilia Perez, which tells the story of Mexican drug lord, Manitas del Monte, who enlists the help of a lawyer to arrange for a gender transition and an escape from their life of crime.

Far too often, in films about trans people, the conflicts in the story arise in relation to their gender identity. But in this case, Emilia’s transition goes smoothly and she successfully fakes her own death. After a few years of living abroad, she returns to Mexico to live as Manitas’s cousin.

She shares a villa with her former wife, Jessi, and their two young sons who Emilia adores. Her transition is so seamless that Jessi has no idea who she’s actually living with. Emilia even finds a way to atone for her past crimes, creating an organization to help the victims of Mexico‘s drug wars. Life is perfect.

But Emilia is suddenly faced with a crisis, and it doesn’t come from her gender transition. It comes from her inability to let go of her violent nature and transition from criminal to law-abiding citizen.

When Jessi plans to get married and take their sons to live in another town, Emilia resorts to violence, having the fiancé beaten and threatened. In the face of such violence, Jessi and her fiancé hatch a daring plan, ending in tragedy for everyone.

Emilia Perez subverts expectations in that it avoids the familiar trope of the “tragic trans person,” and gives us a film that is fresh and far more emotionally compelling.

Image credit: Courtesy of TIFFAnora; subverting the “Pretty Woman” trope

Another example of a TIFF24 film that subverts expectations is Anora. It’s the story of Ani, a young sex worker, who meets the son of a Russian oligarch in the strip club where she works. Yvan sweeps Ani off her feet and she gets caught up in a fantasy of romance, fun, and unimaginable wealth.

Early on, there’s an overt reference to the film, Pretty Woman, which sets up our expectations that Ani’s story will follow that trajectory. But the movie takes the viewer to different places; both comic and violent, culminating in a far more realistic end scene than what Pretty Woman gave us.

This film also subverts expectations in the way that it refuses to portray Ani as a victim. She’s as canny and ambitious as she is devoid of self-pity.

Unlike the Vivian character from Pretty Woman, Ani is street-tough and always up for a fight. But she’s vulnerable enough to hope that her Yvan is a better man than he seems. She’s also strong enough to face her disappointment when Yvan turns out to be just as weak and unreliable as she’d feared.

By showing us a sex worker who’s a multifaceted human being, and by turning the Pretty Woman trope on its head, Anora subverts expectations in a deeply satisfying and meaningful way.

Image credit: Courtesy of TIFFMistress Dispeller; subverting our expectations about marital infidelity

Mistress Dispeller is another film out of TIFF24 that subverts expectations. This documentary film out of China shows the work of a woman named Teacher Wang who helps wives get their straying husbands back on track.

Using subtle yet expert psychological techniques, Teacher Wang works with the wife, the husband, and the mistress to break up the cheating couple and reunite husband and wife.

What makes this film different is that we expect to be angry at the cheating husband and to feel pity for the wronged wife, but by watching the way Teacher Wang approaches the couple, we end up feeling only compassion for both of them.

We also expect to have negative feelings toward the mistress, but again, the approach Teacher Wang takes gives us a different perspective. Teacher Wang deals with the mistress as a someone who’s making poor choices in her life – choices that cause her as much hurt as they cause others – leading the viewer to feel compassion for the young woman as well.

This documentary portrays a real couple going through a difficult time in their life, but it’s never uncomfortable to watch. The subject of marital infidelity is addressed with such delicacy and restraint that the audience is left deeply moved rather than angry and inclined to take sides.

In the end, when the wife gets her husband back, we see that the marriage is still not perfect, but that the couple is willing to try. By not tying everything up in a nice bow, this documentary provides us with a more satisfying and realistic picture of modern marriage in China, and it leads us to think quite differently about issues of infidelity.

Photographer: Krists Luhaers | Source: UnsplashSurprises enhance our enjoyment of films

When a film subverts expectations, the element of surprise allows the viewer to question their perspective on things and it enables us to connect more deeply with the material. When things don’t go as expected, the movie comes alive in our hears and in our minds.

—-

Sign up here for my free bi-weekly wellness newsletter that brings you fresh, thought-provoking content.

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel where you’ll learn simple tips for taking the best care of yourself and your loved ones.

Tune in to my Ruthless Compassion Podcast where I go in-depth about topics like mental health, trauma, and loneliness.

Tune in to my Reel Mental Podcast where I host lively discussions with film critics and explore how mental health is portrayed on-screen.

Complete our Audience Listening Survey here.

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TIFF24, The Year of Subverted Expectations

This year at TIFF, I was happy to note that many of the films I saw subverted expectations. These films gave the impression of going in one direction but then ended up surprising me. These unexpected twists made each of these films more interesting, exciting, and emotionally compelling.

Photographer: Shanna Besson/Pathé | Copyright: © 2024 PathéEmilia Perez; subverting the “tragic trans person” trope

One example is the film, Emilia Perez, which tells the story of Mexican drug lord, Manitas del Monte, who enlists the help of a lawyer to arrange for a gender transition and an escape from their life of crime.

Far too often, in films about trans people, the conflicts in the story arise in relation to their gender identity. But in this case, Emilia’s transition goes smoothly and she successfully fakes her own death. After a few years of living abroad, she returns to Mexico to live as Manitas’s cousin.

She shares a villa with her former wife, Jessi, and their two young sons who Emilia adores. Her transition is so seamless that Jessi has no idea who she’s actually living with. Emilia even finds a way to atone for her past crimes, creating an organization to help the victims of Mexico‘s drug wars. Life is perfect.

But Emilia is suddenly faced with a crisis, and it doesn’t come from her gender transition. It comes from her inability to let go of her violent nature and transition from criminal to law-abiding citizen.

When Jessi plans to get married and take their sons to live in another town, Emilia resorts to violence, having the fiancé beaten and threatened. In the face of such violence, Jessi and her fiancé hatch a daring plan, ending in tragedy for everyone.

Emilia Perez subverts expectations in that it avoids the familiar trope of the “tragic trans person,” and gives us a film that is fresh and far more emotionally compelling.

Image credit: Courtesy of TIFFAnora; subverting the “Pretty Woman” trope

Another example of a TIFF24 film that subverts expectations is Anora. It’s the story of Ani, a young sex worker, who meets the son of a Russian oligarch in the strip club where she works. Yvan sweeps Ani off her feet and she gets caught up in a fantasy of romance, fun, and unimaginable wealth.

Early on, there’s an overt reference to the film, Pretty Woman, which sets up our expectations that Ani’s story will follow that trajectory. But the movie takes the viewer to different places; both comic and violent, culminating in a far more realistic end scene than what Pretty Woman gave us.

This film also subverts expectations in the way that it refuses to portray Ani as a victim. She’s as canny and ambitious as she is devoid of self-pity.

Unlike the Vivian character from Pretty Woman, Ani is street-tough and always up for a fight. But she’s vulnerable enough to hope that her Yvan is a better man than he seems. She’s also strong enough to face her disappointment when Yvan turns out to be just as weak and unreliable as she’d feared.

By showing us a sex worker who’s a multifaceted human being, and by turning the Pretty Woman trope on its head, Anora subverts expectations in a deeply satisfying and meaningful way.

Image credit: Courtesy of TIFFMistress Dispeller; subverting our expectations about marital infidelity

Mistress Dispeller is another film out of TIFF24 that subverts expectations. This documentary film out of China shows the work of a woman named Teacher Wang who helps wives get their straying husbands back on track.

Using subtle yet expert psychological techniques, Teacher Wang works with the wife, the husband, and the mistress to break up the cheating couple and reunite husband and wife.

What makes this film different is that we expect to be angry at the cheating husband and to feel pity for the wronged wife, but by watching the way Teacher Wang approaches the couple, we end up feeling only compassion for both of them.

We also expect to have negative feelings toward the mistress, but again, the approach Teacher Wang takes gives us a different perspective. Teacher Wang deals with the mistress as a someone who’s making poor choices in her life – choices that cause her as much hurt as they cause others – leading the viewer to feel compassion for the young woman as well.

This documentary portrays a real couple going through a difficult time in their life, but it’s never uncomfortable to watch. The subject of marital infidelity is addressed with such delicacy and restraint that the audience is left deeply moved rather than angry and inclined to take sides.

In the end, when the wife gets her husband back, we see that the marriage is still not perfect, but that the couple is willing to try. By not tying everything up in a nice bow, this documentary provides us with a more satisfying and realistic picture of modern marriage in China, and it leads us to think quite differently about issues of infidelity.

Photographer: Krists Luhaers | Source: UnsplashSurprises enhance our enjoyment of films

When a film subverts expectations, the element of surprise allows the viewer to question their perspective on things and it enables us to connect more deeply with the material. When things don’t go as expected, the movie comes alive in our hears and in our minds.

—-

Sign up here for my free bi-weekly wellness newsletter that brings you fresh, thought-provoking content.

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel where you’ll learn simple tips for taking the best care of yourself and your loved ones.

Tune in to my Ruthless Compassion Podcast where I go in-depth about topics like mental health, trauma, and loneliness.

Tune in to my Reel Mental Podcast where I host lively discussions with film critics and explore how mental health is portrayed on-screen.

Complete our Audience Listening Survey here.

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Test Blog Title Testing 1 2 3

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Here is the last section of test text before the standard blog end links. Here is the test text below the first heading of the test blog. Testing story chief by uploading a test blog to the new website. Testing 1 2 3.. Testing. Testing story chief by uploading a test blog to the new website. Testing 1 2 3.. Testing. Testing story chief by uploading a test blog to the new website. Testing 1 2 3.. Testing. Testing story chief by uploading a test blog to the new website. Testing 1 2 3.. Testing. Testing story chief by uploading a test blog to the new website. Testing 1 2 3.. Testing. Now here is another photo to illustrate the next section.

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Sign up here for my free bi-weekly wellness newsletter that brings you fresh, thought-provoking content.

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel where you’ll learn simple tips for taking the best care of yourself and your loved ones.

Tune in to my Ruthless Compassion Podcast where I go in-depth about topics like mental health, trauma, and loneliness.

Tune in to my Reel Mental Podcast where I host lively discussions with film critics and explore how mental health is portrayed on-screen.

Complete our Audience Listening Survey here.

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shohel post

I’m sad that Skinner waited until Munro was dead to reveal in public what had happened to her. However, I understand it. She grew up surrounded by enablers and must have been conditioned to expect punishment for speaking out about her trauma. It must have taken her an enormous amount of courage to finally tell the truth, even after this many years, and even after Munro was no longer with u

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Skinner’s predicament from the start was that her mother was both world-famous and profoundly insensitive to the needs of the children around her. Munro’s narcissism made her incapable of responding with sensitivity and compassion when her daughter revealed what had happened to her, and Munro’s fame made her immune to the consequences of this cold-hearted response.

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I’m sad that Skinner waited until Munro was dead to reveal in public what had happened to her. However, I understand it. She grew up surrounded by enablers and must have been conditioned to expect punishment for speaking out about her trauma. It must have taken her an enormous amount of courage to finally tell the truth, even after this many years, and even after Munro was no longer with us.

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Skinner’s predicament from the start was that her mother was both world-famous and profoundly insensitive to the needs of the children around her. Munro’s narcissism made her incapable of responding with sensitivity and compassion when her daughter revealed what had happened to her, and Munro’s fame made her immune to the consequences of this cold-hearted response.

My heart breaks for Andrea Skinner. It must have been unspeakably awful for her. Not only was she being sexually abused; everyone around her was focused on her mother’s well-being and not on hers. It must have been so painful for her as well, to observe her mother being lauded as a feminist icon and genius when her experience of her mother was so negative.

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I’m sad that Skinner waited until Munro was dead to reveal in public what had happened to her. However, I understand it. She grew up surrounded by enablers and must have been conditioned to expect punishment for speaking out about her trauma. It must have taken her an enormous amount of courage to finally tell the truth, even after this many years, and even after Munro was no longer with us.

erhberdtnbdet fdbdshbhstdI am a wordpress | developer | shohel rana

Skinner’s predicament from the start was that her mother was both world-famous and profoundly insensitive to the needs of the children around her. Munro’s narcissism made her incapable of responding with sensitivity and compassion when her daughter revealed what had happened to her, and Munro’s fame made her immune to the consequences of this cold-hearted response.

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I’m sad that Skinner waited until Munro was dead to reveal in public what had happened to her. However, I understand it. She grew up surrounded by enablers and must have been conditioned to expect punishment for speaking out about her trauma. It must have taken her an enormous amount of courage to finally tell the truth, even after this many years, and even after Munro was no longer with us.

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Skinner’s predicament from the start was that her mother was both world-famous and profoundly insensitive to the needs of the children around her. Munro’s narcissism made her incapable of responding with sensitivity and compassion when her daughter revealed what had happened to her, and Munro’s fame made her immune to the consequences of this cold-hearted response.

My heart breaks for Andrea Skinner. It must have been unspeakably awful for her. Not only was she being sexually abused; everyone around her was focused on her mother’s well-being and not on hers. It must have been so painful for her as well, to observe her mother being lauded as a feminist icon and genius when her experience of her mother was so negative.

Shohel Rana wordpressHeading two shohel rana

I’m sad that Skinner waited until Munro was dead to reveal in public what had happened to her. However, I understand it. She grew up surrounded by enablers and must have been conditioned to expect punishment for speaking out about her trauma. It must have taken her an enormous amount of courage to finally tell the truth, even after this many years, and even after Munro was no longer with us.

WordPress developer shohelI am a wordpress | developer | shohel rana

Skinner’s predicament from the start was that her mother was both world-famous and profoundly insensitive to the needs of the children around her. Munro’s narcissism made her incapable of responding with sensitivity and compassion when her daughter revealed what had happened to her, and Munro’s fame made her immune to the consequences of this cold-hearted response.

elementor expertWordPress developer by shohel

I’m sad that Skinner waited until Munro was dead to reveal in public what had happened to her. However, I understand it. She grew up surrounded by enablers and must have been conditioned to expect punishment for speaking out about her trauma. It must have taken her an enormous amount of courage to finally tell the truth, even after this many years, and even after Munro was no longer with us.

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The Power of Cinema to Advance Our Understanding of Mental Health

Years ago, I saw a film at TIFF that I’ll never forget. It was an Argentinian production, entitled Man Facing Southeast, and it was the first time that I appreciated how sensitively and subtly mental illness could be explored on film.

Test Caotuin- Photographer: Avel Chuklanov | Source: UnsplashIlluminating mental health through cinema

The story was simple. A new patient, Rantes, mysteriously shows up at a mental hospital. He’s almost devoid of emotion and he spends hours each day facing in the same direction. He has unusual talents and he’s very kind.

Soon after he arrives, strange things start to happen. The other patients begin to flock toward Rantes, treating him like he’s a messiah figure. He periodically escapes from the asylum and tends to the local poor. A beautiful woman comes to visit him and sings his praises.

Rantes tells the depressed, disillusioned psychiatrist that he’s a hologram, sent to earth from another planet to save the world.

The doctor chooses not to believe him or support him, and Rantes dies of a heart attack when he is medicated against his will and then forced to receive electroshock treatment.

Although the film hints that Rantes might be an alien messiah, it wasn’t clear to me. What was clear was that Rantes needed a lot more compassion and understanding than he received.

The film also suggested that Rantes could have helped the broken psychiatrist if the doctor had just been willing to meet him where he was. They could have saved each other if the psychiatrist had only been more humane.

Photographer: Felipe Bustillo | Source: Unsplash

I walked away from the film deeply moved and lost in thought. The film did what the best of cinema should do: it made me think, it made me feel, and it brought me into a heretofore unfamiliar world.

It made me wonder about the concepts of psychosis and got me questioning the way we view people with supposed mental illness. It opened me up to the possibility that perhaps some “mentally ill” people might simply be different; not “sick.” It also showed me that the line between a “doctor” and a “patient” might be fairly thin.

It was after seeing Man Facing Southeast that I understood how powerfully film can contribute to our understanding of the psyche and how effective this medium is in offering nuanced, yet profound depictions of individuals who think and behave differently than some of us.

Photographer: Felix Mooneeram | Source: UnsplashCinema shines a light on the mind

Eventually, I became a psychiatrist. During my residency, I volunteered to run the psychoanalytic film forum where local psychoanalysts took turns each month discussing a film that we screened. That was the most fun I had over the four years of my training program.

Since then, I’ve continued to be interested in how films portray mental health. Sometimes, a film will come along that does a fantastic job, expanding our understanding of the subject and enabling us to grow in our compassion. Leaving Las Vegas, another film I saw at TIFF, is one such film. More recently, Turning Red looked at female rage and the way we try to suppress these qualities.

hello imageEventually, I became a psychiatrist. During my residency

Eventually, I became a psychiatrist. During my residency, I volunteered to run the psychoanalytic film forum where local psychoanalysts took turns each month discussing a film that we screened. That was the most fun I had over the four years of my training program.

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Test The Power of Cinema to Advance Our Understanding of Mental Health

Years ago, I saw a film at TIFF that I’ll never forget. It was an Argentinian production, entitled Man Facing Southeast, and it was the first time that I appreciated how sensitively and subtly mental illness could be explored on film.

Test Caotuin- Photographer: Avel Chuklanov | Source: UnsplashIlluminating mental health through cinema

The story was simple. A new patient, Rantes, mysteriously shows up at a mental hospital. He’s almost devoid of emotion and he spends hours each day facing in the same direction. He has unusual talents and he’s very kind.

Soon after he arrives, strange things start to happen. The other patients begin to flock toward Rantes, treating him like he’s a messiah figure. He periodically escapes from the asylum and tends to the local poor. A beautiful woman comes to visit him and sings his praises.

Rantes tells the depressed, disillusioned psychiatrist that he’s a hologram, sent to earth from another planet to save the world.

The doctor chooses not to believe him or support him, and Rantes dies of a heart attack when he is medicated against his will and then forced to receive electroshock treatment.

Although the film hints that Rantes might be an alien messiah, it wasn’t clear to me. What was clear was that Rantes needed a lot more compassion and understanding than he received.

The film also suggested that Rantes could have helped the broken psychiatrist if the doctor had just been willing to meet him where he was. They could have saved each other if the psychiatrist had only been more humane.

Photographer: Felipe Bustillo | Source: Unsplash

I walked away from the film deeply moved and lost in thought. The film did what the best of cinema should do: it made me think, it made me feel, and it brought me into a heretofore unfamiliar world.

It made me wonder about the concepts of psychosis, and got me questioning the way we view people with supposed mental illness. It opened me up to the possibility that perhaps some “mentally ill” people might simply be different; not “sick.” It also showed me that the line between a “doctor” and a “patient” might be fairly thin.

It was after seeing Man Facing Southeast that I understood how powerfully film can contribute to our understanding of the psyche and how effective this medium is in offering nuanced, yet profound depictions of individuals who think and behave differently than some of us.

Photographer: Felix Mooneeram | Source: UnsplashCinema shines a light on the mind

Eventually, I became a psychiatrist. During my residency, I volunteered to run the psychoanalytic film forum where local psychoanalysts took turns each month discussing a film that we screened. That was the most fun I had over the four years of my training program.

Since then, I’ve continued to be interested in how films portray mental health. Sometimes, a film will come along that does a fantastic job, expanding our understanding of the subject and enabling us to grow in our compassion. Leaving Las Vegas, another film I saw at TIFF, is one such film. More recently, Turning Red looked at female rage and the way we try to suppress these qualities.

Since then, I’ve continued to be interested in how

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