Will Make You Think Twice About Mental Illness

Rating: Null/10 (14 February 2002)

My aunt is schizophrenic. For most of my life, I've always just known her as "crazy" Aunt Kathy. She talks to herself, she mumbles a lot, and she often talks to people that aren't there. I never truly understood her illness, and I simply shrugged it off most of the time.

After seeing this phenomenal movie, I can finally understand what she goes through on a daily basis. The film presents the hallucinations and real-life events of John Nash in a way that allows the viewer to understand why a schizophrenic would have difficulty distinguishing what's real and what's not. (SPOILERS}... When Nash first learns that certain people in his life, such as his roommate/best friend and his secret spy boss, don't really exist, he struggles with the realization that he's been hallucinating. Later in the film, when he stops taking his meds and these people reappear, it's completely easy to see how Nash must have felt relieved in some way. "I was so afraid you weren't real," he says, even though we as the audience know that they weren't. This might all sound confusing if you haven't seen the film, but all I can say is prepare yourself. It will touch and educate you deeply, espcecially if you know anyone battling mental illness.