Movies That Perfectly Capture the Experience
As we continue through the month of May and Mental Health Awareness Month I wanted to talk about some movies that perfectly capture the experience of being depressed. Depression is unique to everyone and can affect people very differently, including feeling detached, down, hopeless, lost and alone, unmotivated, or honestly all of the above. As someone who has suffered from depression and anxiety my whole life it can sometimes make me feel like no one understands how I am feeling. I have also been on the other end as I have watched a person I loved deeply suffer from a suicide attempt and another person I cared for that struggled with bipolar disorder. While these are just unfortunate life events and circumstances, this is where the power and beauty of cinema comes in. For me, movies about depression are a powerful way of being seen and heard because I can identify with characters and stories which feel true to me and, as a result, feel less alone. There’s an honesty to these types of films that often comes from the filmmaker channeling their own mental health experience into their art. Seeing characters who are struggling and managing depression is also an exceptional way of destigmatizing mental illness, helping to generate compassion and empathy from its audience.
If you’re dealing with symptoms from depression, watching movies about depression could help you feel more connected and give you insight into what it looks like for other people. It could also help your friends and family learn more about what you’re struggling with by offering an objective look at the experience. Therein lies the beauty of movies that center around depression. They highlight the part of it that is universal — the fact that depression sucks a lot. Rather than starting a subjective conversation about which movies are “best” in terms of the filmmaking (good writing, interesting characters, etc.), I wanted to highlight ones that would best capture the experience of depression. Here is a list of movies that serve as a good place to start as they thoughtfully approach the conversation surrounding mental health and depression.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Melancholia (2011)
Garden State (2004)
Cake (2014)
Manchester By the Sea (2016)
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
World’s Greatest Dad (2009)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
The Skeleton Twins (2014)
Anomalisa (2015)
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
Note: If you or someone you know is seeking help for mental health concerns, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website, or call 1-800-950-NAMI(6264). For confidential treatment referrals, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website, or call the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP(4357). In an emergency, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255) or call 911. You are not alone.
The Fade Out: A Movie Blog 