This film Night was Joseph Farrugia's idea and on Friday 22nd May Joseph addressed the audience. This activity hosted about 30 people at the Multi-Purpose Room and this was the last indoor activity for its genre after winter 09. The focus of the event was entirely dedicated to the Film itself; 'A beautiful mind’. After the film a 30 minute discussion took place and many interesting points were put forward.
Joseph's thoughts about the Film;
Real-life mathematician, John Nash (Russell Crowe) was branded at an early age as a genius. After winning a prestigious scholarship to Princeton University, he develops his ultimate theory "Governing Dynamics." This earns him a professorship/research position at MIT. There he meets his future wife, Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) who is not only both bright and beautiful, but who loves him deeply. Meanwhile, he is called upon to serve his country in a secret mission, but the task takes an emotional toll on him.
Nash is not in touch with reality and is very suspicious about people around him. His college roommate(Paul Bettany), his roommate's niece, and the Defense Department agent(Ed Harris) were all imagined. Nash is hospitalized, and undergoes intense experimental treatment with mixed results. In his later years, he's able to control his illness and goes on to win a Nobel Prize for his economic theories
In this film that are some remarks that are important for people whom are in touch with people who are diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
Imagine if you suddenly learn that the people, the places, the moments most important to you were not gone, not dead, but worse, had never been. What kind of hell would that be?
A personal note on this condition and beyond:
If you are suspecting that a person is ill with this condition the best thing to do is to check with a psychiatrist, which will diagnose accordingly. If the person is diagnosed it is important that the pills given will be taken on a daily basis according to the psychiatrist prescription. Taking medication is very important so that the condition will be controlled. Fortunately this condition can be controlled due to a number of medicines that are available.
Nevertheless a lot of support and encouragement must be given from people that cared about him / her. After a lot of suffering caused by the condition, there will be greater happiness when the person will be healthy once again.
Also it is important that when you are talking about people that have this condition, it is important that you do not depict the picture as they are mad, since you must never judge the person without knowing him. As good Christians we must keep in mind that our comment must be appropriate to the person in front of us not to hurt his feelings.
LIFT invites you to continue the discussion on this blog by sending comments to this post and share your views about the film itself and this activity.
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3 comments:
In my opinion "A Beautiful Mind" is an exceptional story, but it is only an exceptional film because of its director. Ron Howard does an amazing job of engaging his audience, introducing a brilliant main character, and making the audience experience the reality of mental illness. This could have been an unbelievable story to which very people could relate; however, the directorial mastery Howard shown throughout allows the audience to accompany Nash on his journey and awareness of his illness. Anyone who has been close to the frailties of the human mind will appreciate how respectfully and honestly this film approaches the subject. Howard is able to portray all the complex reactions to mental illness while maintaining the humanity and dignity of the patient.
On a different note, the narrative of the film differs considerably from the actual events of Nash's life. The film has been criticized for this, but the filmmakers had consistently said that the film was not meant to be a literal representation. One difficulty was in portraying stress and mental illness within one person's mind. Sylvia Nasar stated that the filmmakers "invented a narrative that, while far from a literal telling, is true to the spirit of Nash's story". The film made his hallucinations visual and auditory when, in fact, they were exclusively auditory. The PBS documentary A Brilliant Madness attempts to portray his life more accurately. You can watch it on youtube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrAc5CVw2zQ
The differences were substantial:
- Few if any of the characters in the film, besides John and Alicia Nash, corresponded directly to actual people.
- The discussion of the Nash equilibrium was criticized as over-simplified.
- In the film, schizophrenic hallucinations appeared while he was in graduate school, when in fact they did not show up until some years later.
- No mention is made of Nash's supposed homosexual experiences at RAND which Nash and his wife both denied.
- Nash also fathered a son, John David Stier (born 19 June 1953), by Eleanor Agnes Stier (1921–2005), a nurse whom he abandoned when informed of her pregnancy.
- The movie also did not include Alicia's divorce of John in 1963. It was not until Nash won the Nobel Memorial Prize that they renewed their relationship, although she allowed him to live with her as a boarder beginning in 1970. They remarried in 2001.
- Nash is shown to join Wheeler Laboratory at MIT, but there is no such lab. He was appointed as C.L.E. Moore Instructor at MIT.
- The pen ceremony tradition at Princeton shown in the film is completely fictitious.
- The film has Nash saying around the time of his Nobel prize in 1994: "I take the newer medications", when in fact Nash did not take any medication from 1970 onwards, something Nash's biography highlights. Howard later stated that they added the line of dialogue because it was felt as though the film was encouraging the notion that all schizophrenics can overcome their illness without medication.
- Nash also never gave an acceptance speech for his Nobel prize.
Owen C
I'm sorry I couldn't attend this film night (due to the school Prize Day), but I had seen this film a few months ago - and it's one of the best films I've ever seen.
I really admired the character of John Nash in this film since when he realised what he was going through he showed a strong determination in becoming better - it's not easy at all but he still managed to hold on to it - and he did so for a long time. And what's a man without a woman?! :) I also admired Alicia who stood by him and helped him throughout.
As an aside, I think that it's very important not to judge anyone (as Joseph said here) because you never know what a person is going through or where s/he is coming from. Accepting someone as s/he is (not referring just to Schizophrenia) may give encouragement or help someone, even without us knowing it. Besides, feeling accepted is one of the nicest feelings we can all have! No?
People still suffer today from mental illnesses. In life it is not what you have that matters but how you deal with it.
John Nash overcame his mental illness and won a Noble Prize in spite of his condition.
How can I overcome my difficulties?
Regards
Pierre.
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