Fighting the demons

Rating: Null/10 (1 February 2004)

Having read many of the comments on this movie, I agree that it does have its warts. However, these in no way, detract from the job that Russell Crowe and Ron Howard do in depicting the world in which a schizophrenic, such as John Nash lives and copes. I had to ask myself, "How I would portray the world of John Nash?" Since I've never been there, I accept Ron Howard's magnificent interpretation of depicting the demons John Nash fought all these years. How else does a director depict the downward-spiraling world of the untreated schizophrenic? The highs (Herman), and the lows (Parcher) must be depicted this way to give the audience some reference point. We can't possibly understand his vision, since the majority of us do not suffer from schizophrenia.
In our modern world we can't grasp the concept for treatment of mental illness in the 1950's. Medicine has come a long way since insulin and electric shock treatments, and lobotomies. While true that John Nash has had a number of problems not dealt with in the film, this was not a mini-series. Ron Howard could only deal with a limited treatment of John Nash's story, and some artistic license needs to be applied.
As with any heroic epic, the title character must have a chance at redemption after losing nearly everything. And make no mistake - this struggle is as heroic as anyone can make. Besides, don't we all have our Charles Hermans and William Parchers to some extent? Russell Crowe does a superb job of depicting that struggle. Think honestly and admit that you've stared at a person who shows outward signs of mental illness; that you've looked on in some disbelief at a person who suffered a grand mal epileptic seizure; or that the little eccentricities people display you find humorous. The geniuses among us are replete with those eccentricities. Thank goodness they are here and have them!
A 9+ out of 10.