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April 28, 2007
New Film Depicts Schizophrenia
Canvas, an award winning independent film, depicts a schizophrenic woman who paints her dreams on a canvas. The film is one of a group of films described in an article, "Mental Illness on Screen," featured in the April, 2007 issue of Psychiatric Times. It stars academy award winner Marcia Gay Harden as Mary, the protagonist, and the Sopranos' Joe Pantoliano as her husband.
Chris, their 10 year old son, tries to conceal his mother's illness, but his mother's behavior alienates him from his schoolmates and creates a rift between him and his parents. The hospitalization of the mother provokes a family crisis, and the film shows how this is resolved by an acceptance of the mother's illness.
The writer/director Joseph Greco derived his inspiration for the film from experience with his mother who had schizophrenia and was hospitalized when he was a child. He also consulted with mental health professionals.
Related Links:
- "Mental Illness on Screen," Psychiatric Times, April 2007
- Canvas movie web site
Posted by admin at April 28, 2007 12:11 PM