It might seem like there aren’t many TV productions that handle the portrayal of mental health in a good way. Throughout our whole #Triggered project, we’ve asked our interviewees which shows or movies they’d recommend. You can find a list of 10 recommendations down below.
1. Media psychologist Charlotte Armitage: Spinning Out
Charlotte Armitage © YAFTA & Kaya Scodelario in Spinning Out © Netflix
Spinning Out (2020) follows 21-year-old Kat Baker (Kaya Scodelario), who is a talented figure skater from Sun Valley, Idaho. After making a disastrous fall in 2017, she’s too terrified to jump. It’s also revealed that Kat struggles with bipolar disorder. The series shows how hard it can be to deal with this illness, for yourself and for the people around you.
British media psychologist Charlotte Armitage was a big fan of the show: “Spinning Out did a really good job of showing the impact the bipolar mother had on her children. When Kat -one of two daughters- is on her medication, she’s staying stable. You can see that she’s okay. When she stops taking her meds because it makes her feel unwell or lacking in energy, you can see the mental illness creeping in. The people around her aren’t aware of it because she doesn’t tell it to anyone, she’s afraid of the stigma around it. In the end, Spinning out shows that people are supportive and she should reach out for help. The series even discloses what this illness is and how Kat feels when she goes back on her medication. It’s a really good portrayal.”
2. Student Thomas Keena: Please Like Me
Thomas Keena & Josh Thomas in Please Like Me © Pigeon Fancier
Please Like Me (2013) is an Australian television series written by Josh Thomas, who also plays the lead actor. The show follows 20-year old Josh whose life changes drastically when his girlfriend breaks up with him because she thinks he’s gay. His mother attempted suicide and failed, which results in Josh moving back in with her.
“The show’s about how Josh tries to live through the years. It’s very light-hearted but also talks about a lot of difficult subjects like suicide and depression. Sometimes it made me laugh like crazy, and other times I couldn’t stop crying. Everything happens very unexpectedly, just like in real life," Thomas (21) says about the show.
3. Student Brent Potters: Joker
Brent Potters & Joaquin Phoenix in Joker © DC Films
Joker (2019) is an American crime movie directed by Todd Phillips. The film is based on the villain The Joker from the famous Batman-comics. The main character Arthur Fleck suffers from a rare condition where he regularly, and sometimes inappropriately, gets uncontrollable fits of laughter. When his medication is cut off, Arthur begins to spiral and bad things start to happen.
Brent (21) really liked the movie: “Joker made me think about how I was doing and how the people around me were doing. The film showed me that there are lots of people who are struggling with their own demons, but that they often keep it quiet. I learned to watch for signs of how people were feeling.”
4. Film director Jessica Ling: Prozac Nation
Jessica Ling & Christina Ricci in Prozac Nation © Millennium Films
Prozac Nation (2001) is an American-German drama film directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg. The film is based on the 1994 autobiography of the same name by Elizabeth Wurtzel and describes her experiences with atypical depression. The title is actually a reference to Prozac, which is the brand name of an antidepressant Elizabeth Wurtzel was prescribed.
The movie was really enlightening for British filmmaker Jessica Ling (24): “I saw a lot of quotes of the movie on Tumblr. It’s a very controversial book about depression, but I like how we see how she deals with her mental health and medication. It’s shown in such a way that opened my eyes in a positive light. It made me realise that I didn’t want to feel depressed anymore. Of course, the movie didn’t have the same effect for everyone as it’s quite heavy. So, determine for yourself if you think you can handle it emotionally.”
5. Student Ella: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The cast of The Perks of Being a Wallflower © Mr. Mudd
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) follows 16-year-old Charlie (Logan Lerman) during his freshman year of high school where he makes and loses friends, experiments with drugs and his sexuality, finds love and comes to terms with his past.
The movie received some controversial feedback, but Ella (18) still enjoyed it: “I read the book and then watched the movie. I felt like it was made by somebody who understood depression instead of romanticising the issue. The movie is still harsh but it was definitely better than shows or films like 13 Reasons Why and To The Bone.”
6. Student Hannah Willems: Requiem for a Dream
Hannah & Jennifer Connelly and Jared Leto in Requiem for a Dream © Thousand Words
Requiem for a Dream (2000) is an American movie directed by Darren Aronofsky. The film follows the life of different drug addicts. It shows the different forms of addiction, that lock up the characters in a dreamworld of disillusions and despair. This dream world is later on taken over and destroyed by reality.
Hannah Willems (17) loved the portrayal of addiction in the film: “I think it handled the concept of addiction really well. The two main characters both suffer from addiction and try to help each other. For me, it’s very realistic but it’s still a movie. It exaggerates it a bit too, but I like that.”
7. Psychologist Joris Bruyninckx: Big Fish
Alison Lohman and Ewan McGregor in Big Fish © Columbia Pictures
Big Fish (2003) is an American fantasy drama movie based on the 1998 novel by American author Daniel Wallace, and directed by Tim Burton. The movie is about Edward (Ewan McGregor/Albert Finney), an alcoholic former traveling salesman with a gift for storytelling. His estranged son, Will (Billy Crudup), attempts to fix their relationship when his father is close to his death.
Belgian TV psychologist (WtFOCK) Joris Bruyninckx explains his pick: “This movie perfectly explains how to deal with people like that. His father is a pathological liar who would tell his son these crazy stories and lies. His son never felt heard by his father, but by the end of the movie, he realises the power that fantasy holds. Before that realisation though, we see 1 hour and 10 minutes of the son trying to live with his alcoholic father and the difficulties accompanied by it.”
8. Actor Willem Herbots: Whiplash
Willem Herbots © Tom Herbots & Miles Teller in Whiplash © Bold Films
Whiplash (2014) is an American drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle, who’s also known for other projects like musical film La La Land. It shows the relationship between ambitious jazz drumming student Andrew (Miles Teller) and his abusive instructor, Terence (J.K. Simmons).
WtFOCK actor Willem Herbots about his recommendation: “The main character doesn’t have a mental illness or anything, but it really focuses on obsession and dedication. You’re so submerged into the main character’s mental headspace. He’s incredibly driven and really wants to go for it. That got represented really well in the movie.”
9. Femke from #Triggered: Bojack Horseman
Femke & Bojack Horseman © Netflix
Bojack Horseman (2014-2020) is an American adult animated series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. The characters are voiced by numerous celebrities like Will Arnett (Arrested Development), Alison Brie (Horse Girl), and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad). Back in the 90s Bojack Horseman (Arnett) was the star of a very famous TV show. 20 years later, he’s a depressed alcoholic has-been, “trying” to get his life back together. The series is praised for its realistic depiction of depression, trauma, addiction, and sexuality.
“I’ve never really watched cartoons growing up, but I’m a sucker for adult animated shows because they usually tend to have some dark storylines behind all the funny jokes. I never thought I’d cry over the sadness of a half-man/half-horse but there I was, bawling my eyes out at the end of season 1. This show proves that problems aren’t just easily fixable and take years/seasons to work out. We see Bojack going to rehab and therapy, and other characters taking antidepressants and making healthy life choices (after many bad ones of course). Although it’s a heavy show, the depressive moments get balanced out by hilarious jokes and loveable characters", Femke says.
10. Janne from #Triggered: SKAM
Janne & Josefine Frida in SKAM © NRK
SKAM (2015) is a Norwegian teen-drama internet show that follows the daily life of teenagers at the Hartvig Nissen School in Oslo. It's the original version of WtFOCK. Every season, SKAM follows a different main character. The show focusses on different themes like: friendship, eating disorders, identity, sexual assault, homosexuality, mental health issues and others.
“Skam showed that everyone can struggle with different things and that it’s okay to struggle sometimes. It touched on different subjects but never went too in-depth. The show gave you room to think about the problems that were discussed and left it up to your imagination as to what was going on. I felt understood, like I wasn’t the only one going through a hard time", Janne says.
If you’ve seen any movies or shows that represented mental illness well, comment them down below for others to see!
These movies can affect every viewer differently, so please take this into account when watching any of them! Viewer discretion is advised.
Text: Janne Schellingen & Femke Lippens