Last summer, many new movies hit the big screen:
“Twisters” highlights the turbulent hobby of storm-chasing, grappling with topics of grief and PTSD.
“It Ends With Us” follows the life of a young woman who falls victim to domestic violence.
“Inside Out 2” frames emotions and stress in a way that is palatable for young children.
What do all of these films have in common? Their portrayal of mental health issues. This poses the question: Have recent films improved young audiences’ understanding of mental health issues?.
The Dart staff members unanimously answered “yes,” but their reasoning varied.
Many agreed that “Inside Out 2” does a wonderful job of simplifying complex issues like anxiety for young viewers. One staffer noted that children are now using words like “stressed” and “anxious” to describe their feelings, which was uncommon for children in previous generations.
“Twisters” made headlines for its impressive cast. Boasting household names like Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos and Glen Powell, viewers had high hopes for the film. Many viewers went for one actor in particular, up-and-coming heartthrob Glen Powell.
However, a few staffers noted that the excitement around his involvement in the movie overshadowed the themes of PTSD, and distracted viewers from the point of the movie. Other staffers argued that Hollywood cannot control how viewers respond to films once they are released.
“It Ends With Us” shines a light on domestic violence. Some staffers felt that the movie goes beyond just drawing awareness to the serious matter, but ends up normalizing and glorifying abusive relationships.
The plot highlights moments where the victim doesn’t realize she is being abused, or attempts to see her abuser in a different light. Many staffers agreed that this was easily misconstrued as the movie glamorizing the abuse rather than providing a look into the victim’s point of view.
This introduces a key issue in Hollywood’s involvement in the portrayal of mental health issues and sensitive topics: How can one toe the line between drawing healthy awareness to versus normalizing such serious issues? Will the portrayal of these issues resonate with people who have had such experiences in their lives? There are many nuances that make these questions difficult to answer.
These movies certainly do increase young audiences’ understanding of mental health issues, but do they improve them? The Dart staff agrees that although it is difficult to accomplish, these three movies portray mental health struggles in a sensitive and productive way, which is decidedly benefitting young viewers.
