Grandin's free flicks aim to open minds about mental illness
Roanoke TimesOct 10, 2017
Surely, you've heard the old expression, "there's no such thing as a free lunch."
Whether that's true, there are free movies. They're each Tuesday night this month at the
Tonight's viewing is "Silver Linings Playbook," the 2012 dramedy about a man with bipolar disorder who moves back in with his parents after a long stay in a psychiatric hospital. It was nominated for eight Oscars, took one and grossed
The no-cost screenings start at
The Tuesday night series is known as
Each screening will be followed by a community discussion about symptoms and the challenges families face when a loved one suffers from mental illness and recovery. Those are issues that touch countless lives, including my own family. And they can be wrenching and isolating.
Mental Health America is one of roughly a dozen community organizations or institutions that in the past year have used the nonprofit theater for awareness programs, said
Others have included the multicultural group Local Colors,
"In addition to being a first-run multiplex, it's part of our goal of being a cultural community center that we work with local organizations that choose to use the cinematic arts for mission-based programs," Fortier told me. "We benefit from the traffic and from allowing the community more diverse reasons to attend the facility."
Mental health is a diverse issue in terms of the breadth of maladies it encompasses, the age ranges it affects and the strata of society it reaches.
It is "very, very difficult to wrap our heads around," said
The series "allows us to use a medium of art that has historically brought people together in a comfortable space where people can learn a little more about mental illness, learn a little more about recovery."
This year's series launched last Tuesday with a viewing of "The Skeleton Twins," a 2014 indie comedy-drama about a brother and sister who are estranged emotionally and geographically. They live apart on the West and East coasts, but retain an eerie connection and are reunited when both attempt suicide at about the same time.
"We had about 50 people for "The Skeleton Twins,"
The movie played in the main theater - the one with old-timey gargoyles high on the walls - and afterward there was a 15- to 20-minute discussion led by
The peer at last week's session was my adult daughter Erin, who some years ago was hospitalized for suicidal ideation. She now works in
"The peers can describe, how does being suicidal really feel?"
Tonight's theme is bipolar disorder. On
On
Rounding out the month on
That one was chosen by one of
"It's
There are a lot of those out there, often inaccurate and frequently stigmatizing. The facts are mental illness is treatable, recovery's achievable and there are lots of successes on that front.
Come and see for yourself. For the cost of a glass of water from your kitchen tap, you'll get a good movie and learn about some of those real-life success stories.
MindMatters Series
Free movies at
? Where:
? When:
? Schedule: Tonight, "Silver Linings Playbook" (bipolar disorder);
? Cost: Free
? Following each screening, a short discussion will be led by a mental health professional, usually with a peer recovery specialist who's experienced the illness portrayed in the film.