30 Best Ever Made Movies About Mental Illness

There are a lot of movies about mental illness. Watching this kind of movie can make people aware that mental illness is a serious thing and those who suffer from mental illnesses need help. Below, there are at least 30 best movies about mental illness. However, it is important to note that the term best may be subjective.

The List of 30 Best Movies About Mental Illness

Here are the 30 best movies about mental illness. However, the list below is not listed based on the rank, but it is listed randomly where the source is from Summit Malibu.

The Summary of Some Movies About Mental Illness

The King of Staten Island (2020)

This movie is directed by Judd Apatow. The movie tells about Scott, played by Davidson, who lost his father because his father died when he was fighting a fire where it happened when Scott was 7 years old. Losing his father affects him and he also needs to deal with a number of medical issues such as Crohn’s disease and ADD and he often smokes marijuana as well. Scott wants to be a tattoo artist so that he practices routinely. One day, his mother reveals that she has a relationship with someone named Ray who has the same profession as his father, a firefighter. This movie stars Pete Davidson, Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Bel Powley, Maude Apatow, and Steve Buscemi.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

The genre of this movie is a romantic comedy. It is written and directed by David O. Russell where the story is based on Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel entitled The Silver Linings Playbook. The story is about Pat who suffers from bipolar and he is just released from a psychiatric hospital and comes back with his parents to live together again. Then, he meets a young widow namely Tiffany Maxwell who wants to help him to get his wife if he agrees to join a dance competition with her. However, when they practice, they become closer. Silver Lining Playbook stars Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Anupam Kher, and Chris Tucker.

Girl, Interrupted (1999)

This is a psychological drama film which is written and directed by James Mangold. In the movie, there is a character named Susanna Kaysen who has a nervous breakdown and overdoses on aspirin and alcohol. Then, she is examined in Claymore, a local psychiatric hospital. When she is in the psychiatric ward, she meets Polly “Torch” Clark who is a childlike girl who suffers from schizophrenia; Georgina Tuskin who is a pathological liar; Janet Webber who is a sardonic woman who suffers from anorexia; Cynthia Crowley; and Daisy Randone who self-harms, has obsessive-compulsive disorder and is considered to have bulimia. Susanna becomes friends with them. However, Susanna was attracted to Lisa Rowe. She is a sociopath who is rebellious, but she is charismatic. She motivates Susanna to stop taking her medication and deny therapy. This movie stars Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy, Elisabeth Moss, Jared Leto, Jeffrey Tambor, Vanessa Redgrave, and Whoopi Goldberg.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010)

This is a comedy drama film which is directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. In this film, Craig Gilner looks for help at a hospital because he is depressed and he thinks of suicide. He tells Dr. Mahmoud that he needs help and then he becomes a patient at the hospital’s psychiatric floor. The thing that Craig feels is that he feels a lot of pressure from his high school. Besides, he is also stressed because he needs to submit an application for a prestigious summer school. Not only that, he also feels that he is not as great as his best friend, Aaron who is good at everything and he also gets pressure from his dad. This film stars Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts, Viola Davis, Lauren Graham, Jim Gaffigan, Zoë Kravitz, and Zach Galifianakis.

Joker (2019)

This is a psychological thriller film which is directed by Todd Phillips. In this film, the main character is Arthur Fleck who lives with his mother, Penny in Gotham City which is full of crimes in the 1980s. Arthur is a clown and aspiring stand-up comedian and he suffers from a neurological disorder. Because of the mental illness that he has, he has random, uncontrollable laughing fits. So, he needs medication. Arthur is fired from his job at a children’s hospital when he shows the gun accidentally. When he is on way home while still wearing his clown makeup, he is mocked and beaten by drunk businessmen from Wayne Investments. And then, Arthur shoots two of them to defend himself and even murders the third when he tries to escape. This film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Frances Conroy.

Infinitely Polar Bear (2014)

This is a comedy drama film which is directed by Maya Forbes. It tells that in the late 1970s, a Bostonian named Cameron Stuart is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. A psychotic break that he has makes him to be fired from his job and hospitalized. And then, his wife named Maggie, and their two children move to a small apartment. She struggles to be able to get a good job so that she can support herself and her two children.

That’s all the summary of some movies from the list of 30 best movies about mental illness above where the source is from Wikipedia and Summit Malibu. To get summaries of other movies from the list, you can read them on these sources or other sources.

Tia Varborough

A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.