Beyond ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’: mental illness on the big screen

From One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to Melancholia, there are a myriad of films out there that portray characters suffering from mental illness.

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Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia (Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures)

Midmorning host Kerri Miller talked with both Bob Mondello, NPR's movie critic, and Lisa Brown, artistic director of Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival, about how films often sensationalize mental illness, but sometimes do a compelling job of getting it right.

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Bob Mondello wrote about the recent surge in films depicting mental illness for NPR, which you can read here.

Some of the films discussed on Midmorning:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Black Swan

Ordinary People

Girl, Interrupted

The Hours

Melancholia

A Beautiful Mind

Drop Dead Fred

A Soldier's Heart

You can listen to the show by clicking on the link below: