Friday, February 29, 2008

Depressing Movie Night

Too Short

My kids have created a new tradition which is they go out playing Magic (see earlier posts for details) on Friday nights. This is great for me because driving them there and back is one household duty that I am exempt from. Some nights I go hang out at a bookstore, some nights I take pictures (which is more pleasant in the summer) and others I read or watch TV.
I don't usually watch much television. This is in part because I prefer to read most of the time and because I don't like fighting with my three boys over control of the remote. Fridays I like to collapse. I avoid Friday night dates and parties and have done so for years. So tonight, I have the house to myself and since I have put around 100 miles on my car in the past two days for work, I have little interest in spending more time in it. I also have a rented movie to watch.
I need to preface this with an explanation of my latest movie rentals. Today and this coming Monday, by coincidence, I had/have talks to give on depression. Today's was relatively informal and was about adolescent depression and bipolar disorder. Monday's will be as part of a course entitled Neurobiology of Disease. This will be more formal which is why, of course, I haven't even started preparing it yet. The course instructor wanted some video footage of a depressed person. When I heard about this a few months ago I commented that I didn't have any videos and the instructor told me that he could get me something. Last week when the subject came up he told me he didn't have a video. I mentioned I might use a film clip from a movie (just in case he was worried about copyright issues) and he proposed that I take a look on You Tube. I was taken aback but he was right. I found a pretty good video on You Tube.
Even so I came up with three movies that might have suitable portrayals of depressed people. The first I viewed last Friday. I watched Girl, Interrupted which was pretty well done, a bit dated, and a bit distressing but provided no useful film clips. I enjoyed watching Angelina Jolie as a blonde bitchy girl, most likely with bipolar disorder. She had just the requisite evilness that some people (but not all) have during a manic episode.
I remember one bipolar guy from my inpatient days who refused medication, was incredibly unpleasant to the staff and constantly threatened to call (then Secretary of Health and Human Services) Donna Shalayla to complain of our treatment of him. It took weeks for him to improve enough to be discharged and for us to breathe a big sigh of relief. Lest you think I generally hate my patients, let me say that he was an exception. I usually can find something to like and relate to in my patients but he was notably unlikable.
Tonight's movie is Prozac Nation. I'm guessing I won't find what I am looking for for my talk but hope I like the flick anyway. If neither of those work, I will review Little Miss Sunshine--there is a character in it that I remember as being quite the image of a depressed person. Or I'll use You Tube or simply quote some written material. Maybe tomorrow's post will be composed of some depressing quotes. I have something about Abraham Lincoln that is quite remarkable.
After this post it is ironic to close with "Cheers" but I will do so anyway.
Cheers and happy viewing.

5 comments:

JL said...

NORMAL LIFE (The best depiction of scary, scary bi-polar you will ever see on film)

TREES LOUNGE (Depression borne of a lifetime of failure).

Watch them both. They are both Chicago-type movies.

Larry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
p said...

i'll send you a video of me

Kathe said...

Since self taught artist beat me to it, I won't offer to send you a video of me. *whew* Good thing, 'cause I hate being in front of the camera.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the movie ideas. I'll see if my local store has them. If not, there's always Netflix.
Thanks also Kathe and Self for the video tape offer. I considered a self portrait but decided it wouldn't be appropriate.