An insight into mental illness.

Rating: Null/10 (12 September 2005)

Although Russel Crowe proved his worth as an adept, competent actor in; A Beautiful Mind, his physique seems more appropriate for Gladiator, and films of this ilk, which require as necessary, muscle bound men. Having said this, Crowe successfully manages to permit the viewer of; A Beautiful Mind to see beyond his physique, and thereby concentrate on his adeptness in immersing himself into the character he is playing. Here, he does not need to be true to the real life person that he is playing, but rather be convincing in his role, which of course in this film he does eloquently, and sensitively in an intelligent way. For this, Crowe deserves immense critical acclaim.
Meanwhile, the writing and directing of; A Beautiful Mind are very well executed. What director Ron Howard has managed to do here in a clever and innovative way, is to make a complex subject matter palpable, and therefore accessible to the mass audience, without being patronising. In this way Howard not only reaches his audience, but raises their awareness, and to a certain extent, their understanding of an otherwise closed subject matter, which is that of schizophrenia. This said, I'm not too sure it alleviates the fears that people have of people with a mental illness, such as schizophrenia. Nevertheless, by raising awareness and understanding of mental illness, it is irrelevant,and thereby does not matter one jot if the story of Professor Nash is off the mark, and distorted. What matters is reaching the audience, and educating them on the subject of mental illness in an intelligent, innovative way that is put into layman's terms. Although I can't be sure of Howard's intentions, and purpose when directing this film, he nevertheless manages to handle the subject matter of schizophrenia ethically. Nonetheless, whether intended or merely coincidental,the subject matter of this film has become a profitable one for Dreamworks!
When all is said and done, this is an excellent film, with convincing acting and plausible directing!