To clarify something....

After some thought, I am not sure I stated my ideas accurately in the last post, about the movie, The Soloist. I found some issues with it that I thought I would point out here, but I would like to say, more importantly, that it is great to see serious mental illness portrayed in a meaningful, non-accusatory manner in a film for the general public. So many times, a "crazy", "psycho", or "wack job" character appears in movies, and in television shows, where mental illness is made to be equivalent with dangerous, threatening behaviors - and this is obviously exactly what we do not need. This obviously comes from and contributes to the stigma that enshrouds mental illness around the world today, and has throughout most of the history of time. So, I hope my post doesn't result in people looking down upon a rare film that portrays a mentally ill man is a living, breathing human being with a normal heart and soul, plus some obvious talents. That kind of film is rare, and should be appreciated for what it is - something so different from the humdrum stigma-spreading garbage that infiltrates the mass media.



So, I just wanted to make that clear.

I was just critical of that film because, although it did portray Schizophrenia in an accurate - or somewhat accurate - manner, there were things that could have been done better, in my opinion. The fact that NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, endorsed this film gave me high expectations. Also, I believe there is some wisdom in the idea that you have to criticize the things you love. I look forward to a day when mental illness is given the kind of serious attention in films that it actually deserves, and the ridiculous caricatures and stereotypes are the exception, rather than the norm.