These movies successfully tackled what can often be a very sensitive subject. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the films in which depictions of mental health issues are key.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the films in which depictions
00:11of mental health issues are key.
00:14Spoilers will be mentioned.
00:28It isn't often that a picture so perfectly captures the long-lasting effects of grief.
00:33While What's Eating Gilbert Great primarily focuses on Gilbert's struggle with his younger
00:37brother's developmental disability, there were still signs of his emotional toll.
00:42His mother is the most blatant example, with her intense depression following her husband's
00:46death, keeping her from sleeping in her old bedroom and becoming reliant on her children.
00:58Gilbert on the other hand, appears to shove his feelings down in favour of caring for
01:02his brother, until he burns out and finally snaps, causing him to violently lash out.
01:07Both are different, yet realistic depictions of how not dealing with grief properly can
01:12lead to consequences further down the line.
01:19What would you do if you lost everything at once?
01:37This movie goes into one man's extreme response to his life crumbling.
01:40Ben has an alcohol use disorder, and loses it all, resulting in him travelling to the titular
01:45city to drink himself to death.
01:56His impulsive actions showcase what a person can look and act like when they simply don't
02:00care about themselves anymore.
02:02Even with his last connection in the world begging him to get help, he still refuses, showing
02:07how his despair has completely taken over his will to live.
02:10The film offers a glimpse into the mind of a man on the very brink, a devastating portrait
02:14that can affect even the stoniest viewers, and earns Nicolas Cage an Oscar.
02:34One of the most gripping depictions of intergenerational trauma in film, Aftersun follows Sophie, a girl
02:39as she spends a holiday trip with her father.
02:41While she's there, he openly struggles with his mental health, displaying various symptoms
02:45throughout the trip, while hiding behind a put-on smile.
02:54Throughout it are shots of the adult Sophie trying to get closer to her father while he
02:58dances in a crowded club, serving as symbolism for his struggles, creating a permanent divide
03:02between the two.
03:03It's a brilliant depiction of how depression can permeate moments that are supposed to be
03:08happy, and how it can affect the loved ones of the afflicted just as much.
03:30While some movies focus on the underlying reasons for a character's emotional state, this highly
03:34acclaimed film weren't about it in a completely different way.
03:37A woman under the influence displays a housewife's descent into madness, for seemingly no reason
03:43at all.
03:44Her behaviour escalates to the point that she is sent against her will to a mental health
03:47hospital.
03:57Things devolve even further when she returns in an even worse state, having undergone extreme
04:02treatments that did not help her.
04:04Despite not receiving the help she truly needs, and still being self-destructive, she's still
04:08forced to act as though everything is normal, and play the role of the perfect wife and mother,
04:13creating both a bleak ending, and commentary about women's issues being raised.
04:25While most films about mental health issues use the subject as a general plot point, this
04:38one uses it as a twist.
04:40On the surface, Shutter Island appears to be a classic mystery about a detective investigating
04:44a poorly run mental health hospital.
04:46His search becomes more complicated by the day, eventually leading to the ultimate reveal,
04:51that the man he was searching for was himself.
05:09Both he and the audience find out that he murdered his wife after she drowned their children, with
05:13his guilt manifesting as intense, daily delusions.
05:16The investigation was nothing more than a detailed roleplay in an attempt to help him.
05:21While not being the entire focal point, it still shows how one can be afflicted without
05:25even realising it.
05:45In this sweet indie dramedy, Ryan Gosling is cast against type as Lars, a lovable introvert
05:51with a deep desire to connect to people, but with an even bigger fear of attempting to.
05:56So instead, he orders a sex doll, and gives it a name and a backstory.
06:00His concerned family takes him to a psychologist, who suggests they treat her as real, and the
06:05whole town soon follows suit.
06:13Along with his delusions, Lars has symptoms of schizoid personality disorder, which manifest
06:18in his solitary lifestyle and rich internal fantasy world.
06:22His new companion, Bianca, is ultimately a tool to help him overcome his emotional coldness,
06:27and what happened to him in the past.
06:29Lars is one of Gosling's best performances, and the movie itself earned an Oscar nod for
06:33best original screenplay.
06:39If you're a 90s kid, then chances are that every time you hear the proclaimers, I'm going
06:55to be 500 miles, you think of this movie.
06:57Benny, played by Aiden Quinn, is the older brother of June, who has mental health issues.
07:02He is also her caregiver, following their parents' accidental deaths.
07:05The siblings are soon introduced to Sam, a cinephile with an odd personality, who also
07:10happens to be illiterate.
07:21Despite Sam's eccentricities and June's outbursts, the two immediately connect.
07:26Essentially a romantic comedy about two social misfits, Benny and June was definitely one
07:30of the few in this genre for a long time.
07:33While Sam and June's mental health issues may make them stand out from society at large,
07:37at least they've got each other.
07:41Our next entry is a biopic about famed pianist David Helfgott, played by the great Jeffrey
07:59Rush.
08:00A child prodigy, Helfgott grew up with a father who didn't tolerate failure and who wanted
08:04his son to be as highly competitive as he was.
08:07At the age of 19, he was sent to the Royal College of Music, where he started to exhibit
08:11manifestations of schizoaffective disorder.
08:14After winning the concerto competition, things get worse, as Helfgott suffers a breakdown and
08:19subsequently spends years in and out of mental health hospitals.
08:30Although the film's accuracy is disputed, the biographical drama was a hit at the Sundance
08:34Film Festival, and won Rush a deserved Best Actor Oscar for his performance.
08:41High school is hard enough as it is, and it's made more difficult when struggling with personal
09:04issues.
09:05While the story is centred around Charlie, a freshman affected by extreme trauma, he's
09:09far from the only one afflicted.
09:10He and his older friends attempt to evade their troubles through improper substance use,
09:15but eventually, this affects their real lives.
09:25Their troubled childhoods lead them to look for love in all the wrong places, thinking
09:29it's all they deserve.
09:30Charlie, in particular, is haunted by post-traumatic stress disorder, stemming from abuse, resulting
09:35in a haunting breakdown once his support system leaves.
09:38The gripping character study shows that people can, and will, suppress their trauma, but can't
09:43stop it from rearing its ugly head later on in life.
09:57Just because a film is comedic, doesn't mean it can't also have serious elements as well.
10:01The award-winning Little Miss Sunshine appears to be a classic road trip story, complete with
10:05a dysfunctional family.
10:06However, things are much darker than the title makes it seem.
10:10There's a perfect blend between characters openly struggling, and those trying to keep
10:23it together, showing the various ways that people attempt to handle their negative emotions
10:27during hard times.
10:28Between one candidly discussing his attempt at taking his own life, and another having his
10:32dreams suddenly crushed, the family is constantly put through the wringer.
10:36Despite it all, they manage to come together, showing how vital a strong support system is
10:41in times of need.
10:45Even when one is struggling, they can still attempt to keep up appearances.
10:58In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche, following her husband's self-inflicted death and issues
11:03with her job, is forced to stay with her sister and her quick-to-anger husband.
11:20Her life slowly falls apart, as she gets into constant confrontations with Stanley, leading
11:25to her steadily going mad.
11:27As she spirals, things are made even worse by him exposing her past, causing her to become
11:32delusional.
11:33An assault is the final nail in the coffin, causing a breakdown that results in her being
11:37committed to a mental health hospital.
11:39This distressing look at how one's broken mental state can become even more fragmented
11:43following new trauma, won four well-deserved Oscars.
11:46If you know Danish director Lars von Trier, then you know his films are not the easiest to digest,
12:12although this next entry is probably his most widely seen movie.
12:16Starring Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melancholia revolves around two sisters named
12:21Justine and Claire, and follows what happens during and after the former's wedding.
12:32Although such a seemingly happy event is occurring in their family, there is also tragedy of epic
12:37proportions looming, and this tragedy comes in the form of a rogue planet that may or may
12:42not collide with Earth.
12:44The film is essentially a metaphor for depression, and was based on the director's own experience
12:48with it, particularly through the character of Justine.
13:06The next movie on our list is about a female patient named Susannah Cason, played by Winona
13:10Ryder, and her year-and-a-half stay at a mental health hospital.
13:14Based on Cason's memoir, the drama also stars Angelina Jolie, Elizabeth Moss, Whoopi Goldberg,
13:19and Brittany Murphy.
13:20Cason is hospitalised after attempting to take her own life, and is diagnosed with borderline
13:25and personality disorder.
13:35While at the mental health hospital, she becomes particularly infatuated with a manipulative
13:39sociopath, Jolie's Lisa Rowe, who takes special pleasure in influencing the women around her.
13:44Although the film received mixed reviews, it is still remembered for Jolie's performance,
13:49which earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
14:09Up next is a psychological thriller about a ballerina whose ambitions affect her mental
14:13health.
14:14Black Swan revolves around a modern production of the classic Tchaikovsky ballet, Swan Lake,
14:19in which the director wants to have the same ballerina play both the white and the black
14:23swan.
14:24Natalie Portman is Nina, who is the favourite, but she doesn't quite grasp the sensuality
14:28of the black swan.
14:29At least, not the way newcomer Lily, played by Mila Kunis, does.
14:38This makes Nina paranoid that she'll lose the part, and she soon begins to show signs
14:42of obsessive compulsive disorder, delusions, and an array of eating disorders.
14:47The film became a surprise box office success, and earned Portman the Best Actress Academy Award.
14:59Our next entry was one of the most successful films of 2012, and showed audiences that Bradley
15:15Cooper could be a serious actor too.
15:17Directed by David O. Russell, the film was adapted from the novel by Matthew Quick, and
15:22centres on the life of Pat Solitano Jr., a man who tries to piece his life back together
15:26after suffering a mental breakdown.
15:37Pat was also treated for bipolar disorder, and upon release from the mental health hospital,
15:42he moves back in with his parents.
15:44He is later introduced to the recently widowed Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence.
15:48The romantic comedy-drama was a success with critics and audiences alike.
15:52It was also one of the first movies since Benny and June to successfully mix romantic comedy
15:56with a serious topic like mental health issues.
16:16Substance use disorder is a powerful disease that can destroy anyone.
16:20No movie showcases this better than Requiem for a Dream, which follows the lives of four
16:24people struggling to live with their dependencies.
16:27It shows the mental and emotional degradation that comes with substance use disorder and how
16:31one can swing from euphoric highs to extreme lows.
16:40Each character continues to deteriorate in their own ways, from falling into a substance-induced
16:44psychosis to resorting to extreme tactics to make some extra cash.
16:49It all eventually reaches a boiling point, with everyone suffering the unfortunate consequences.
16:54The movie is perfect commentary on how substances can make a bad mental situation even worse,
16:59and how they can lead to fates almost worse than death.
17:17Starring a plethora of great American actors like Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Christopher
17:21Walken, this post-Vietnam War drama revolves around three Russian-American steelworkers
17:26and their memories of the war.
17:28It also explores the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on the soldiers and the people
17:31around them.
17:39We find them in 60s Pennsylvania as they try to lead normal lives, but they are unfortunately
17:44still plagued by what they live through while saving their country.
17:47Thanks to its themes, emotional performances and original vision, The Deer Hunter won five
17:52Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, as well as Best Supporting Actor
17:56for Christopher Walken.
18:14This next movie is a biopic based on the life of mathematician John Nash, portrayed here by
18:18Russell Crowe.
18:19The film focuses mostly on his life after he is approached by the Pentagon to help them
18:23crack the Soviet telecommunication code.
18:25Eventually, Nash becomes obsessed with searching for hidden messages and begins to think he
18:29is being followed.
18:37In many ways, his paranoid schizophrenia was probably fuelled by his passion and mathematical
18:42genius, but the film was criticised for misrepresenting his life.
18:45However, it was adorned by audiences and won four Academy Awards.
19:11The Fight Club is a masterclass in handling mental health issues in a non-obvious way.
19:16Through the narrator, we're shown how chronic insomnia leads to him feeling dissatisfaction
19:20with his life.
19:21His friendship with soap salesman Tyler Durden causes even more stress, with The Fight Club
19:26becoming a way of the protagonist unhealthily processing his emotions.
19:32Durden's behaviour continues to escalate, with the club morphing into something even more
19:40insidious.
19:41Just as things reach a boiling point, it's revealed that our anti-hero had been struggling
19:46with dissociative identity disorder, and that he and Tyler were one in the same.
19:51The film shows how societal expectations, and the inability to reach them, can lead to
19:55even seemingly normal men, snapping under the pressure.
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20:18Our number one choice is based on the same-named novel by Ken Kesey, and stars Jack Nicholson,
20:38Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd and Louise Fletcher.
20:40In this drama, Nicholson plays Randall McMurphy, a man accused of the sexual assault of a teenage
20:45girl who was sent to a mental health hospital in Oregon.
20:48While there, he notices that the doctors are focused more on sedating the patients than
20:52helping them become healthy members of society again.
21:03The film remains a timeless cinematic achievement in its telling of a story of human courage and
21:08determination, not only in the face of mental health issues, but of dictatorship, too.
21:12It won in all five major categories at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor
21:17for Nicholson's performance.
21:20So, which movie do you think has the most emotionally impactful depiction of mental health issues?
21:35Let us know in the comments below.