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A Beautiful Mind
Director: Ron Howard (2001)
Distributor: United
International Pictures (UK) Ltd.
Certificate: 12
Any attempt to portray illness in film will inevitably raise critical questions. Is it patronising towards people with the illness? Does it exploit people at an emotional level? Are viewers left with a romanticised view that ignores some of the messier symptoms of the condition in question? Unfortunately at times film-makers do move into such dubious territory but there is also a long tradition of films that tackle illness with integrity. Examples such as Rain Man, My Left Foot and Awakenings spring to mind. Ron Howard’s Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind is a worthy addition to the list.
The film charts the life of the eccentric American mathematician John Nash (Russell Crowe), from his arrival at Princeton in 1947 to his receipt of the Nobel Prize in 1994. From Princeton, Nash wins a placement at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and attracts the attention of the Pentagon and is recruited by agent William Parcher (Ed Harris) as a code-breaker. Soon Nash’s quirky nature deteriorates into schizophrenia and the line between reality and paranoia becomes blurred. This is particularly well portrayed in the film, not least by its avoidance of any cinematic device to clarify the separation of what goes on in Nash’s head from reality.
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Crowe’s powerful portrayal of Nash’s mental turmoil was rightly rewarded with a second successive Oscar nomination for best actor. He succeeds in conveying with insight and sensitivity the struggle to overcome not only the symptoms of Nash’s schizophrenia but also the effects of the treatment administered to him. The insulin shock therapy is a harrowing sequence in the film and the despair of Nash in his medicated state is almost tangible. |
The impact of Nash’s illness on those around him is also well handled, not least in relation to his wife Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) whom he met when she was a student in one of his classes. Supportive of her husband throughout, she struggles to hold the family together but is eventually driven to the point of despair by his unpredictable behaviour that almost results in the accidental death of their baby. Connelly’s Oscar for best supporting actress is also well deserved.
Another nice touch in the film was the generally supporting approach of Nash’s academic colleagues. There is no pretence that their relationship with Nash was easy and at times their frustration with him is evident. Nevertheless, in the aftermath of the most traumatic events of his illness, Nash finds a welcome from the staff at Princeton and recovers his dignity. In several places, the more unpleasant side of human nature is rightly included. For example, the ridicule of Nash by some students is an apt reminder of how a misunderstanding of mental illness can so often produce cruel responses from otherwise considerate and caring people.
The somewhat neat ending of the film is perhaps its weakness. Nash learns to ignore the delusions that continue to haunt him and is no longer debilitated by them; he is embraced by the academic community and the impression is given that he and Alicia live happily ever after. The film has clearly tidied up Nash’s life somewhat. Nevertheless, if one of Ron Howard’s intentions in making A Beautiful Mind was to craft a thoughtful portrayal of the impact of schizophrenia in a person’s life, he has succeeded admirably.
THROUGH THE LENS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH
With any illness or disability it is always possible to end up paying so much attention to the symptoms that the person affected ends up being overlooked in the process. This is particularly true in relation to mental illness. It often evokes less compassion and empathy than a physical illness. Perhaps this is because mental illness manifests itself in behaviour that is sometimes unpredictable and even unsociable. In A Beautiful Mind John Nash’s paranoid schizophrenia is a clear example. Thankfully for Nash, his wife Alicia and a number of close colleagues never lost sight of his humanity and dignity even though the manifestations of his illness pushed them to the very limits. To see the person first and any affliction second is a Christ-like quality.
In the gospel stories we find Jesus encountering numerous people who had been pushed to the margins of society because they were sick and suffering from both physical and mental causes. Numerous reasons for the plight of such people were put forward, not least the belief that illness was in some way their own fault, a consequence of their sin. This was something strongly refuted by Jesus (John 9.1-3). But whatever the reason for a person’s illness it meant exclusion from society, adding further to the suffering that was already being endured. What Jesus did was turn the convention of his day on its head.
Instead of keeping the diseased at arm’s length, he embraced them (Mark 1.40-42); instead of finger-pointing and ridicule he reached out in love to bring healing and wholeness (Luke 8.26-33); instead of seeing no further than the sometimes disturbing symptoms of the sick he looked with compassion at the humanity before him ~ men and women, girls and boys created in the image of God yet suffering in a broken world (Matthew 17.14-18).
These are certainly lessons still to be learnt about respecting the dignity of all people, sick and healthy alike. After all, who among us can claim to be whole? It has often been said that the measure of any civilised society is the extent to which it cares for its weakest members. The challenge for all of us, and one that we can take up next time we encounter someone who is broken in body or mind, is simply this: see the person first.
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